A Marriage of Convenience?
by Dermestidae Masculatus
Summary: COMPLETE Sara and Greg find themselves in an interesting partnership of sorts due to meddling family members. But is it really just a convenience? SaraGreg.
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: It's not mine, I just enjoy messing with their lives.

A/N: Hello everyone, my name is Maitlyn. This is my first CSI fic, and basically this story came about because of a little plot bunny that didn't want to leave me alone. I know, the whole idea is completely unreal and would never happen, and that Greg and Sara probably aren't in character, but I'm trying my best, so any tips would be appreciated. Also I know that neither of them would probably act like this, but hey, that's why this is called fan-fiction! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, and I hope you enjoy. It's a Greg/Sara pairing. P.S. Mora is Norwegian for Mother

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter One

The phone was ringing. Rather loudly in his opinion, but that could have something to do with the fact that it was ten in the morning, and he had only just fallen into bed after a tiring shift at work. Lifting his head up, he narrowed his eyes in a glare at the phone, hoping that it would be silenced. As luck would have it though, it kept ringing, leaving him no choice but to answer it.

"Yeah," he mumbled sleepily.

"Gregers Hojem Sanders! I know that wasn't you who just answered the phone because I _know_ I taught my son better manners than that!"

"Hello mora," he grimaced at the voice on the other end as he rolled over onto his back, preparing himself for a lecture, and yet hoping there wouldn't be one.

"Don't 'hello mora' me," Tekla Sanders scolded once again. "Now why haven't you called me back? I left half a dozen messages for you!"

"I'm sorry mother, but I've been working double shifts and catching some sleep in between. And can we talk later? I've just gotten off work, and I'm really tired mora."

"No, we can talk now," she continued, but her voice had lost its scolding tone. "I want to know when you're coming for Christmas. Thanksgiving is only two weeks away, and it's been what, seven or eight years since you've _actually_ visited."

"I came for Kelly's graduation two years ago," Greg pointed out.

"Stop with the English names, they're horrible," she snapped, and Greg could almost see her wincing at the nickname his sister went by, not to mention she hated how he called himself Greg and not his true Norwegian name, Gregers. "Kjellfrid, not Kelly. And you stayed for dinner and then left! I hardly consider that a visit."

"Sorry mora, but you know the lab needs me. And I'm a CSI level one now, so I need the experience."

"And you'll get it, but not this Christmas," Tekla stated firmly. "We're having some friends over. You'll remember some of them."

"Who mora?" Greg tensed up, guessing what was coming.

"Else Matthews. You remember her from summer camp? She's a nurse now, lovely girl, working at the hospital right here is San Gabriel. I showed her a picture of you the other day when she came for some coffee, and she thinks you're hunky!"

"Mora…" he began, trying to cut her off before she could run through any more eligible women, but he wasn't quick enough.

"And Hanna Jacoby? You two grew up together back in Norway before we all moved here. She's working as a teacher! Nice, quiet girl, with a respectable job."

"Mora!" he said more firmly.

"She would make a good wife for you, or maybe Rita Zuelden? I know since James divorced her a few months ago she's looking for a new husb-" she was cut off by Greg.

"MORA!"

"What Gregers? If you wanted to say something, do it quietly. No need to raise your voice."

"Stop with the girls mora, I'm not looking for a girlfriend or wife, or anything of that nature," Greg said firmly.

"You're almost 30, you should be settled down with a good girl and given me a grandbaby by now," she argued. She paused a moment before speaking hesitantly. "You're not…gay…are you?"

"No mora!" Greg closed his eyes in irritation. "I am not gay. I love women and everything about them, I can assure you."

"Then why won't you even _consider_ one of the girls I've mentioned!" Tekla demanded to know.

"Because, mora," Greg began, stalling as his brain raced for an explanation.

"Because why?"

"Because I'm getting married today, that's why," he spat out.

"MARRIED! To who! When did you start dating? When did you get engaged?" Tekla fired off several questions.

"We started dating about five months ago, got engaged a month ago, and we just want to have a quiet wedding here alone," Greg quickly made up.

"And?"

"And what mora?" Greg asked in confusion.

"Who is she? What's her name?"

"Sara Sidle," Greg blurted out the first name that came to mind.

"Is she one of those scientist people like you?"

"Yes mora, she's a CSI like me, but a level three," Greg kicked himself mentally for blurting out her name. Now what was he going to do?

"Humph," she said, the disapproval evident in her voice. "Well, then I'll expect both of you for Christmas. And bring the wedding certificate so I can add it to the family bible. Good bye Gregers."

"But-" Greg started to protest, but she had already hung up. "Damn."

Greg threw the phone across the room, feeling the slightest bit of satisfaction at the crash it made as it slammed into the wall. Rolling onto his stomach, he buried his face in his pillow, idly wondering how long it would take for him to suffocate. Then he wouldn't be in this mess. If only his mother didn't collect all marriage certificates, death certificates, birth certificates, and any other type of certificate imaginable to put into the family bible, he probably could have convinced Sara to just play along for a week. But no, he had to say they were married, and they were getting married tonight. He should've just said he was dating her instead. Stupid brain! Why did he have to say married!

Looking over at the clock, he set the alarm for six o'clock. That would give him a few hours of much needed sleep, and then plenty of time to get ready. He had a few stops to make before work; the florist, the candy shop, the jewelers, and Sara Sidle's apartment. If he was going to convince her to marry him, and stay married for over six weeks, he needed some serious bribes, and a lot of luck.

OooOooOooO – Meanwhile across town – OooOooOooO

"Hello?" Sara Sidle answered the phone, absently stroking Belladonna's back.

Belladonna was a two year old tabby cat, and was very spoiled by Sara. Sara hadn't planned on getting a cat, but when her brother came to stay with her for Christmas last year, he decided a cat would be good company for her, and make a good Christmas gift. So that was how she came to own Belladonna.

"Sara?"

"Hey Chris, what's up?" Sara perked up, hearing her brother on the other end.

"Uh, not much," he replied quickly, sounding nervous.

"Is something wrong?" Sara asked, now concerned.

"No. Well, yes, sort of," Chris said, sounding apologetic. "Well, you know how Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill are always after us to come for Thanksgiving and or Christmas?"

"Yeah," Sara said slowly, getting a feeling that she wasn't going to like where this was going. She was right.

"Well, I kind of told Aunt Linda we'd both be coming to the B and B for Thanksgiving this year," Chris steeled himself and continued on before she could yell at him. "And I said we'd be bringing our spouses with us too."

"Our what?" Sara's voice was low and dangerous, and at the moment, Chris was very glad that 3,000 miles separated them.

"Um, well, see, I uh, I told her that you're getting married soon. And no one was told because you wanted it to just be you and your fiancé, small and quiet," Chris braced himself.

"CHRISTOPHER JAMES SIDLE!" Sara screamed into the phone. "You mean to tell me that I am now engaged, and I'm getting married in a few days to a non-existent man, _and_ I have to spend Thanksgiving with Linda, Bill, and the rest of those idiots!"

"Yes?" he said meekly.

"I am going to hang up now, and I don't want to hear from you again anytime soon. If I need to, I will call you," Sara said, breathing heavily. "Right now I am going to go take a shower, go to bed, and try to think of some way to get myself out of this mess."

"I love you sis, I'm sorry," Chris apologised.

"Yeah, well, if you were sorry, you wouldn't have done it now, would you?" Sara snapped, and then slammed the phone down.

Barely managing to keep from throwing everything within reach, she went into her bathroom, undressed, and turned the shower on as hot as she could stand before getting in. She let herself stand there probably close to an hour before she made herself get out. Drying off, she threw on a camisole and some baggy cotton pajama pants before climbing into bed to get some sleep.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

Half past six p.m. found Greg dressed in clothes that were entirely unusual for him. He was wearing nice black pants, a dark olive green, button-up, short-sleeved collared shirt. He did however spike his hair up as usual. He was hoping his serious attire would first of all, impress Sara, and second of all, show that he really was serious and not just goofing around. Grabbing his car keys, he quickly hopped in his car and drove to Caesars, home of one of the most exclusive jewelry stores; Bvlgari. Known for their watches, they also sold some of the most exquisite jewelry in the states. Walking in, he felt extremely nervous, but a sales woman immediately came over to help him, putting him at ease.

"Good evening sir, and welcome to Bvlgari Diamonds," the woman named Carla smiled. "How may I help you?"

"Uh hi, and yes," he replied in answer to her question. "I need to buy an engagement ring and wedding bands please."

"Right this way sir," she led him towards the back of the store where the rings were located. "Now what did you have in mind for the engagement ring?"

"Something simple, not too flashy or big," he said immediately, knowing Sara would hate that. "My girlfriend does a lot of heavy work you could say, so I need something that won't get in the way."

"Well we have a lot of lovely rings with smaller stones in a basket setting, so they're more a part of the band, and don't jut out so much as some others," she suggested, pulling a tray out for him to look at.

"That one," Greg pointed to one. The ring was very classy and simple; just how he thought of Sara. The platinum ring had a small emerald cut diamond set in a basket setting, and was framed by two smaller emerald cut diamonds on either side.

"Excellent choice sir, now what size will you need it sized to?"

"Size six, even," he said, suddenly grateful for the day he had been stuck with Catherine and Sara at a crime scene, and all they had seemed to do was discuss ring sizes.

"You're in luck, this is already a six, so shall I go ahead and wrap it up for you while you look at the wedding bands here?"

"That'd be great, thanks," Greg smiled, glad that one thing was done.

Moving over a cabinet, he began to look at the wedding bands. He knew that anyone would call him crazy for buying a fairly expensive engagement ring, not to mention wedding bands, for a girl who probably wouldn't even say yes. And maybe he was crazy. Truth be told, he was crazy about Sara. He had asked her out once, jokingly, and she had said no. That had made him like her even more. Not to mention he thought she was gorgeous, intelligent, and one of the most dedicated people he knew. In his mind, she deserved the best, even if the marriage would be a sham. Also, she might have a harder time turning him down if he did all this, not to mention, if she didn't agree, then he could just save the rings for when he did get married someday.

"Here you are sir," Carla was back, with a dark burgundy box, tied with a light purple ribbon.

"Thanks. May I see those wedding bands, please?" He pointed to the ones he was interested.

"Here you are," she pulled the rings out, setting them on a jewelers mat. "And look, this is also a six."

"And this fits me perfectly," he couldn't help but grin as the plain platinum band slid on his ring finger perfectly. Maybe this was a sign that things would work out. "I'll take these also please."

"Let me go package these up, and Marie over there will ring you up," she smiled, pointing him in the direction of an elderly woman across the store.

"Since you're buying three rings, all in platinum, we gave you a discount," Marie smiled, ringing up his purchases. "Your total comes to 3,274 dollars and 83 cents."

"I'll pay with Visa please," he handed her his card as Carla brought over another perfectly wrapped burgundy box with light purple bow.

"Thank you sir, and good luck!" the two women wished him well as he left.

Next he went to the florist and picked up a bouquet of two dozen pink roses. After that, he went to a chocolate shop not too far from where he knew Sara's apartment was. Leaving several minutes later, he had a dozen raspberry filled, white chocolate truffles boxed up neatly. Climbing back in the car for what felt like the millionth time that day, he drove to Sara's apartment complex. He sat in the car for several minutes, looking at the building, breathing shakily as he gathered his nerves together. Grabbing everything, he climbed out of the car, and buzzed Sara's apartment.

"Hello?" Her voice came over the intercom.

"Sara, it's Greg, I really need to talk to you about something?"

"Hold on," she said, and a minute later, he heard the familiar buzz of the door being unlocked. Gathering his courage he took the stairs up and knocked on her door.

"Hey Sara, these are for you," Greg held out the flowers and chocolate as soon as she opened the door.

"Thanks Greg," Sara looked at him confused. "Come on in."

"Thanks," he smiled nervously as he entered her apartment and took a seat on the couch while she went to put the flowers in a vase.

"You're dressed up today, it looks nice."

"Thanks."

"So what'd you need to talk to me about?" Sara asked, pulling a sweatshirt on over top of her pajamas since she hadn't gotten dressed yet. "Although I'm letting you know right now I'm not in the best mood, so I may not be very sympathetic."

"Why?"

"My brother's an idiot," Sara said casually. "He told my Aunt and Uncle, who I really don't like, that we'd both be coming for Thanksgiving."

"Well what's so bad about that? I mean, aren't you supposed to spend holidays with family?"

"I guess, but he said we'd be coming with our spouses," Sara ran a hand through her hair in annoyance.

"Spouse, but you're not married."

"Thanks for the newsflash Captain Obvious."

"This is PERFECT!" Greg jumped up, and then pulled one box out of the bag he was holding and handed it to Sara. "Open it!"

"Why is the fact that I'm supposedly married and really not, and have to do something to get myself out of this mess perfect?" Sara stared at him as if he were crazy, not looking down as she took the velvet ring box out and opened it up.

"Sara, I'd be lying if I said I loved you romantically, although I do like you a lot," Greg smiled cheekily. "But will you marry me anyways?"

"Oh my lord" Sara gasped, finally looking down at the box she was holding, and the ring inside. "Why?"

"Because I have the exact same problem as you," he explained. "My mother called and ordered me to come for Christmas because she's having a party. Anyways, she was talking about all these girls who would be there, and pointing out all their good qualities. When I told her to stop it, she asked why, and my stupid mouth blurted out that I was getting married tonight. And when she asked to who, your name was the first that came to mind."

"Greg, this won't work," Sara started to protest, but he could tell it was only half-hearted as she began to see the merit in the plan.

"Why not?" He knelt in front of her. "We're already pretty good friends. And this way you'll be off the hook at your Aunt and Uncle's, and I wouldn't have lied to my mother."

"I-" Sara started, but Greg cut her off, taking her hands in his, eyes pleading with her.

"Sara, I know we're not in love, but I do care about you. This would only be for a few months, and then we can just get a divorce if you want," Greg took her hand and slid the ring on her finger. "And can't you just see how much everyone at work would freak out?"

"I know I'm going to regret this, but all right, I'll become Mrs. Gregory Sanders," Sara shook her head in disbelief.

"Actually, it's Mrs. Gregers Sanders," Greg corrected, pulling her up from her chair and into a hug. "It's a common mistake. My mother gave my sister and me nice traditional Norwegian names. I just use the anglicized nickname instead."

"Okay. Well, when do we want to do this then?"

"Well, I kind of told my mother we'd be getting married tonight. She's expecting the marriage certificate too at Christmas because she sticks all those types of things in our family bible, so I was thinking we could go as soon as you get ready. There's a little chapel not too far from the lab. And it's not a themed one or anything either, I promise!"

"All right," Sara conceded. "Make yourself comfortable while I shower and get ready. I suppose I should dress up a little, after all, it is my wedding day."

"Whatever you're most comfortable in," Greg laughed as she disappeared.

He sat there for the next forty minutes feeling as if he were in a dream. She had said yes. Sara Sidle, who wouldn't even go on a date with him, had _actually_ agreed to get married…tonight! He couldn't believe it. Lady Luck was definitely smiling down upon him tonight. And Sara too it seemed, since she was kind of in the same predicament as he was. Funny how that happened, huh? Oh well, he didn't care.

"All right, it's eight thirty, so we'd better get going so we have plenty of time to get married and then get to work," Sara said coming back in.

"Wow, you look, stunning Sara!" Greg complimented. "Not that you don't usually I mean, but, you know."

"Thanks Greg," Sara smiled her quirky, gap-toothed smile at him.

She had decided to dress up tonight, after debating it for a while. Rummaging through her closet, she had chosen a pair of dress slacks, much like the ones Catherine was always wearing, instead of her usual pair of jeans. The cream colored slacks complimented the light blue lace spaghetti strap top she had on. Throwing on a matching cream colored suit jacket, she picked up her purse and followed Greg out the door to his car.

They drove for about ten minutes, pulling up outside of the Las Vegas Presbyterian Church. It was a small, plain looking, white church complete with steeple, and looked out of place between a toy store and liquor shop. Sara looked over at Greg curiously as he turned off the car.

"I come when I can," Greg said by way of explanation. "It helps remind me that there is good in the world, and that there is a purpose for what I do. Keeps me grounded."

"Maybe we can go together some time," Sara took his outstretched hand as they prepared to walk in, playing the happy couple. "I think seeing all the bad makes me forget the good."

"Pastor Fanning!" Greg greeted enthusiastically as the man came out of his office at the sound of the church door being opened.

"Hello Greg, how are you?" The older man greeted them with a smile.

"Pretty good. Made it through another week."

"And who is this lovely young woman by your side?" He extended his hand to Sara and shook it.

"This is Sara Sidle, my fiancé and co-worker," he held out Sara's hand, showing the ring. "Actually, that's why we're here. We want to get married today."

"Congratulations! It always makes me feel blessed to be able to join two loving children of God in holy matrimony," he turned around and began assembling the necessary paperwork.

"All right, I think that's everything," Greg said a few minutes later after he and Sara had finished filling out the marriage license paperwork.

"Let me just go get Lillian, and then we can begin," Pastor Fanning stood up. "Why don't you go ahead into the sanctuary and reflect upon your lives thus far, and the life you are about to embark upon."

"Thank you sir," Greg nodded as he showed Sara into the small sanctuary.

"Who's Lillian?" Sara questioned as they sat down in the first pew.

"His wife. There has to be a witness present," Greg explained. "Are you ready for this?"

"Honestly, probably not," Sara gave a nervous laugh, looking at the ring on her hand which was still clasped with Greg's much larger one. She hadn't realised how big they were compared to hers. "But, I do think it needs to be done. I just never really saw myself marrying you of all people, no offense."

"Grissom?"

"No," she said firmly, surprising Greg. "I always admired him, and yeah, I entertained the idea of us having a relationship. But I've realised that it wouldn't work, especially considering the fact that he's my supervisor at work. There's also the fact that we're just too much alike in some ways, that it'd be a mess."

"Sara," Greg said seriously after a moment. "I know you said yes and agreed and all to this, but you don't have to. I mean, I can always just tell my mother that I got cold feet at the last minute and we broke it off or something. Then we also wouldn't have to worry about what we tell the lab."

"No, I think I want to do this, the whole getting married thing," Sara laughed. "And as for the lab, we just tell them we've been dating for a few months, got engaged, and then got married. And we kept it all quiet because we didn't want it to interfere with our performance at work. We all know that I'm obsessed with the job, so it's not like it's far from the truth. And if we just flirt more around each other, and do some minor public displays of affection-"

"PDA's, yes!" Greg pumped his fist in the air.

"Minor Gregers," Sara teased him. "Hand squeezes, kiss on the cheek, touching each other on the shoulder or back, things like that. As I was saying, if we do stuff like that, they'll believe us. I mean, you and I are so private about our love lives, that I think it'll be fairly easy for us to pull it off. We just have to break it to them."

"We can just ask them all if they'll help us move your stuff to my town house," Greg suggested. "I assume you're okay with moving in with me? Only because I have the bigger living quarters, and your apartment would be a little small for us."

"Yeah, I was going to suggest that," Sara nodded in agreement. "You know, maybe we should move my stuff ourselves, and just see how long it takes them to figure out that anything's going on. And not to offend you, but I don't know that I'll wear my ring on my finger to work. I'll probably wear it on a chain. Not because I'm ashamed, but because of all the stuff we get our hands into."

"I was just about to ask if you would be too offended if I wore mine on a chain," Greg laughed. "Great minds think alike, eh?"

"All right, are you ready?" Pastor Fanning came in, a short, petite woman following him. "This is my wife Lillian; she'll witness for you two, if that's all right?"

"Sure," Sara smiled. "Thank you."

"All right, then let's get married," Greg calmed his nerves and took his place beside Sara, waiting for Pastor Fanning to begin.

A/N: Okay, I know, I'm kind of evil! If you want to see them get married and what all happens, then review! No reviews means no next chapter. Actually, whether or not I get reviews, I'll probably keep posting simply because I don't leave stories unfinished, but reviews are always nice. Next chapter should be up in a week or so hopefully. I'm a college freshman, taking 21 credits, so I'm fairly busy. Also, if you feel the need, flame away, although constructive criticism is more greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: It's not mine, I just enjoy messing with their lives.

Spoilers: Because I didn't do this last chapter, we'll just say that starting around this season.

A/N: Oh my gosh! Thanks sooooooo much for the reviews! I feel so loved lol. Anyways, it's nice to know the plot bunny wasn't completely crazy, and that maybe it was actually interesting lol. As I said last chapter, I know Sara and Greg aren't in character (though I'm trying- it's hard) and that they wouldn't hook up, but I think they compliment each other pretty well, personality wise. Greg's quirkiness balances out Sara's seriousness. Also, I don't know all the laws and restrictions about getting married or eloping in Nevada, so I took liberties with that. Lastly, I've decided I like the team being all back together, so there's a not very logical reason farther down as to why they're back together. Anyways, on to the next chapter!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Two

"This is the time that you have chosen to become husband and wife," Pastor Fanning began with a smile. "We are here, not only to witness your commitment to each other, but also to wish you both every happiness in your future life together. Within its framework of commitment and loyalty, marriage enables the establishment of a home, where through trust, patience, and respect, the love and affection which you have for each other may develop into a deep and lasting relationship. We who are witnessing your marriage hope that despite the stresses inevitable in any life, your respect for each other, your trust and understanding of each other, and most of all your love for each other, will increase your contentment and heighten your joy in living."

Greg and Sara shared a small smile.

"First Corinthians chapter thirteen, verses four through seven states, 'Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited, it is never rude or selfish, it does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's faults, but delights in the truth. It always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres'. It is always ready to endure whatever comes. True love does not come to an end. " Pastor Fanning paused a moment to let the meaning of those words sink in. "Every day you live, learn how to receive love with as much understanding as you give. Find things within yourself, then you can share them with one another. Do not fear this love either. Have an open heart and a sincere mind. Be sincerely interested in each other's happiness. Be constant and consistent in your love. From this comes security and strength. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us on this day of your marriage and you commit yourselves fully and freely to each other."

Sara felt a slight tightening in her chest as the weight of the words weighed upon her heart. Maybe she wasn't exactly marrying for love, but she would commit herself to the relationship for as long it lasted. Greg had the same thought running through his head, and he made a promise to do all he could to protect Sara.

"Marriage is togetherness if two are caring as they share life's hopes and fears, and if the music of laughter outweighs sadness and tears. Marriage is freedom if both derive pleasure from the mere presence of each other, yet when parted, no jealousies restrict, worry, or smother. Marriage is respect if achievements mean more when they benefit two and consideration is shown with each point of view. And if togetherness, freedom, and respect are combined with a joy that words can never fully define, then marriage is love," Pastor Fanning smiled again. "Before you, Gregers and Sara, are joined in holy matrimony in my presence and the presence of my wife, I am to remind you of the serious and binding nature of the relationship you are now about to enter. I will now ask you to make your marriage vows to one another."

Greg and Sara turned to face each other, and Greg took both her hands in his while looking into her eyes, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Do you Gregers Hojem Sanders, take Sara Marie Sidle, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to love, honour, and cherish, to keep in sickness and health, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?" Pastor Fanning directed the question to Greg.

"I do."

"And do you Sara Marie Sidle, take Gregers Hojem Sanders, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love, honour, and cherish, to keep in sickness and health, forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?" Pastor Fanning now directed the question to Sara.

"I do."

"Now if I may have the rings?" Lillian handed them over to her husband, and Sara hid a look of surprise. Greg had gone to a lot of trouble to make this nice for her. "So as the rings are round with no break, so may your marriage also be. Greg, please take the ring and place it on Sara's finger as you say with this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," Greg slid the thin platinum band onto Sara's ring finger, next to her engagement ring.

"Sara, if you would please take the ring, and place it on Greg's finger as you say with this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," Sara smiled as she slid the slightly wider platinum band onto Greg's ring finger.

"As you have consented together to be bound to one another in lawful marriage, you have made special oaths to each other which have been symbolized by the joining of hands, taking of vows, and by the giving and receiving of rings. By the authority vested in me, according to the laws of the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you to be husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

At that part, Greg smiled broadly, having wanted to kiss Sara for quite some time. Dropping her hands, he rested one on the small of her back and pulled her closer as his other hand moved to cup her cheek. Sara rested her hands on his chest as she closed her eyes, leaning in. Their lips met in a soft and tender kiss, sending a shock racing through both of them as fireworks exploded in their minds.

"Wow," Greg panted slightly as he pulled back.

"Yeah," Sara agreed, slightly dazed from the pure emotion of the kiss.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Sanders," Pastor Fanning handed them the now signed marriage license.

"Yes, and God bless you both," Lillian chimed in softly.

"Thank you," Sara and Greg responded simultaneously as they clasped hands again.

They left the church after paying Pastor Fanning, and climbed back into the car. Both sat there in silence for several moments, trying to fully comprehend the fact that they had just gotten married. Without dating, without knowing each other the way a husband and wife should, without love. And to each other of all people.

"So, what now?" Sara asked, breaking the silence.

"Uh, I don't know," Greg replied, and then grinned. "I'm still thinking about that kiss. Wait till I tell the guys!"

"Oh grow up Sanders," Sara rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but laugh a little at his excitement.

"You too, _Sanders_," he smirked. "What time is it?"

"It looks like it's, oh my gosh!" Sara looked at her watch. "It's nine forty-five!"

"So? We're only about ten minutes from the lab?" Greg looked over at her. "Shift doesn't start till ten."

"I know that, but I'm _always_ at work by nine, sometimes earlier," Sara said exasperated. "Everyone's going to want to know where I was."

"Just tell them you got married," Greg smirked, and Sara just shot him an annoyed look. "Or not."

"They'd just think I was joking anyways," Sara said as she took her rings off, threading them onto the silver chair around her neck. "Thank you, by the way."

"For the flowers, the chocolate, the engagement ring, the wedding band, take your pick. You didn't have to go to all that trouble and expense."

"No biggie, I wanted to, and it's not like the money is a really big issue," Greg shrugged, handing his ring to Sara so she could thread it onto the chain he handed her.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Greg started to explain. "My parents came over from Norway a few months before I was born. Back when they lived in Norway though, my father was a very important, and very highly paid government official. My mother was a rather well-known seamstress. Once they moved here, my father worked as the President of the Norwegian Embassy, until he retired a few years ago. So my sister and I each have a bank account with a good amount of money in it. I don't even have to work, as long as I manage the money as well as I have in the past. I invest a lot in stocks and things, and I've never needed to buy a lot."

"How much?" Sara usually wouldn't ask, but seeing as they were married now, she felt she had the right to ask. "If you don't mind my asking?"

"Close to five million I'd say, last time I had my broker figure it out," Greg said quietly. He wasn't used to talking about his family or his wealth. He didn't want people to think he was a spoiled rich kid who only got to where he was because of his father.

"Okay," was all Sara said, and it put Greg at ease.

"All right, we're here," Greg stated the obvious as he pulled into the parking lot of the LVPD Crime Lab.

"Yep," Sara handed him back his ring, now on the chain.

"So did we decide if we want to tell them or just wait till they figure it out?"

"I think I'd rather just up the flirting and PDA's around everyone. We can tell them in time, or if someone asks we can just tell them the truth," Sara voiced her opinion.

"Coolies," Greg smiled before coming around and opening the door for her. "Now, we better get inside or we'll be late."

Sara and Greg quickly walked inside, punched in at the front desk, and made their way through the busy maze that was known as the crime lab. Heading straight for the break room without stopping at the locker room, Greg motioned for her to precede him in entering the room. Everyone, meaning Grissom, Catherine, Warrick, and Nick, looked up when they came in. Their shift had been put back together when there had been several disputes among employees on various shifts. Ecklie was moved back to day-shift, along with Sofia, and the night shift was re-instated back to its original members, plus Greg, of course.

"Well, look who decided to show up finally," Nick drawled, laying his accent on thick. "Running late tonight, are we?"

"Oh shut up Nicky," she snapped playfully at him, sitting down in the chair that Greg pulled out for her. "And my car broke down, so I caught a ride with Greg. Thanks."

"You're welcome," he said sitting down next to her, a little closer than usual.

"You're looking good girl," Warrick smiled his greeting.

"Yeah, what's with the clothes? You look like you stole them out of my closet," Catherine laughed. "And you too Greg, you look _normal_ for once. Or at least as normal as you can."

"I don't know," they said simultaneously, causing everyone to laugh. Greg motioned for Sara to go first.

"Just felt like it," Sara said nonchalantly.

"I was at church earlier," Greg said. And it was true, although he wasn't there for the reasons that they assumed.

"Well, you look good Greg," Catherine complimented. "Maybe you should keep that look for a while, give these two a run for their money as cutest CSI."

"Nah, I'm going back to my usual tomorrow," Greg shook his head. "And besides, I'm happily taken, so I'm off the market. You've lost your chance Catherine."

"Damn," Catherine said, sarcasm evident in her voice. "Guess I'm going to have to fight Sara for Archie then."

"You can have him Cath," Sara raised an eyebrow. "He's too young for me, and not quite my type."

"All right guys, time to stop picking on the lab techs," Grissom shook his head in amusement. "Okay, before I give out assignments, Brass informed me that there is going to be a black and white police ball. And apparently the mayor is attending, and we're _all_ being required to go since night shift has the highest solve rate, and the mayor wants to personally thank us for our efforts."

"When is it?" Catherine asked, already thinking about what she would wear.

"This Saturday, at eight o'clock at the Venetian ballroom," Grissom replied, and Nick let out a whistle.

"That'll cost a bundle," he said.

"Yeah, they could use that money to get me a new mass spec," Greg agreed, and everyone joined in talking about how the money could be better used.

"Assignments, guys," Grissom interrupted. "Nick and Warrick, you've got a DB at the Monaco, Sara and Greg, you're finishing up your B&E from last shift, right?"

"Yeah, we've just got some DNA to process and make a match, and I'll be doing that tonight, then we're gonna bag our bad guy!" Greg said excitedly.

"All right," Grissom just gave him a look. "Catherine, you're with me, possible suicide in Henderson."

"I'm driving!" She snatched the slip out of Grissom's hand, and left the room, followed by Grissom.

Nick and Warrick finished up their coffee and with a wave they left for their crime scene. Sara and Greg just sat there in a comfortable silence for a minute before Greg stood up.

"C'mon, let's get some coffee, this stuff tastes like motor oil," Greg pulled her out of her seat.

"As long as it's your blue Hawaiian, fine with me," Sara agreed, dumping her coffee into the sink.

"Our blue Hawaiian now," Greg said as they entered what he still thought of as his lab. "What's mine is yours."

"Well then, I guess I should let you know you're now part owner of an extremely opinionated and spoiled tabby cat named Belladonna," Sara replied, taking a seat on one of the stools as Greg produced the much sought after blue Hawaiian coffee.

"Really? Cool. I've just got two hermit crabs named Cinderella and Prince Charming," Greg measured out some coffee and turned the pot on.

"Cinderella and Prince Charming?"

"My sister named them."

"I didn't know you had a sister. Actually, I don't think I know much about your family at all."

"Yeah, she's 20 years old, ten years younger than me. Her name's Kjellfrid, but except for my parents, everyone calls her Kelly," Greg shared. "Other than her, it's just my parents, Tekla and Olaf. They were both only children, and their parents, my grandparents, died before I was born. What's your family like?"

"There's just my brother Chris and me. My dad was killed when I was a kid by my mom, and a few years ago my mom committed suicide. My dad had a brother, my Uncle Bill, and he and my Aunt Linda had three kids; Carly, Megan, and Justin. They're about the same ages as us, 31 and 34. Carly and Megan are twins, and they're both married with several kids each, and Justin's now a single dad with two girls I think. It's been a long time since I've talked to or seen any of them."

"But we'll see them at Thanksgiving?" Greg questioned, putting his coffee down as they finally decided to start on the DNA swab they had taken from their suspected robber.

"Yeah, I have to call up Linda and set everything up, but we'll probably be going up a day or two before, and leave the day after, is that okay?" Sara asked as she passed over the distilled water for him to add to the tub holding the tip of the swab.

"Yup, and then we'll be spending Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after with my folks," Greg put the sample in the machine and waited for it to process.

"Sounds fine," Sara shrugged, not really caring too much.

"All right, I've added in the sample we took from the scene," Greg announced. "We just have to wait for the first sample to be processed, then the second one to be processed, and then I've programmed it so that they'll automatically be cross-referenced with each other."

"So how long will that take?"

"About an hour or so, give or take. It depends on if Hodges is running any samples in his lab, or if Mia is. If they are, it'll take longer, but if the fates are smiling on me, it'll be quicker," Greg looked up jokingly, pleading with the ceiling. He then turned to his c.d. player sitting on the counter. "But while we wait, we can listen to some music. My sister sent me a mix of songs she likes, and I promised her that I would listen to it."

"Country?" Sara's eyebrows rose as the first song came on.

"I guess so. Not quite my thing, but because it's from her, I'll listen to it at least once through," Greg pushed the 'next' button to go to the next song. They sat there talking, the country music providing a nice background as they played twenty questions with one another, getting to know a little more about each other.

"What are you doing Greg?" Sara laughed as he pulled her off the stool as the last song on the c.d. came on. "Anyone could see."

"Well we never had a wedding reception, so I'm taking our first dance now, and if someone sees, oh well. We have to tell 'em sometime" Greg wrapped an arm around her waist as he took her hand in his. Her other hand went to rest on his shoulder as he rested his cheek against her temple. Both couldn't help but think that they fit perfectly together as they rotated slowly in place in time to the song by Rascal Flatts, "God Bless the Broken Road".

"Well, don't you two look cozy?" Hodges sneered, walking into the lab as the song was coming to an end.

"Oh stuff it Hodges," Greg rolled his eyes in irritation as he and Sara separated.

He was annoyed at Hodges. He and Sara had been sharing what felt like a rather intimate moment. He was kinda surprised at how well they were both settling into this. They had done things backwards, in a way. They got married, and were now getting to know each other better, and planning on doing things like couples did.

"So what were you doing? You're not dating, are you?" Hodges had an insatiable curiosity when it came to knowing any and all gossip in the lab.

"You'd make a horrible CSI, because it's obvious that we were dancing. And no, we're not dating," Sara answered, which was true. They were married instead.

"Sure, and that's why you were practically making out where anyone could see you."

"No, if we were making out, it'd look like this," Greg smirked, quickly glancing at Sara for her agreement.

Greg pulled Sara to him once more, his lips meeting hers in a heated kiss. She slid her arms around his neck and ran her fingers though his hair as his hands ran up and down her back, keeping her pressed against him. Though neither of them were ones for public displays of affection, especially at this level, they upped the passion and heat of the kiss for Hodges benefit.

"That's a little like what making out is," Sara could help but smirk at the look of shock on Hodges face. "Although if I had my way, there'd be a lot less clothes involved."

"Bye!" Greg called as Hodges left in a hurry, still in shock. "Sorry about that, but the chance to get one up on him was just too irresistible to pass."

"It's all right. Hey, print out's done!" Sara snatched the paper up. "Yes, it's a match!"

"Let's call Brass and arrest this creep!" Greg pulled her into a hug and swung her around.

"Whoa! Careful there you two," Nick held his hands up as he and Warrick entered the lab.

"Sorry," Greg grinned sheepishly as he set a laughing Sara down.

"Hey, anything to make our Sara laugh is okay by me," Warrick grinned, noting the flush on her cheeks. She had been going through a rough patch, especially with that suspension a while back, and it was good to see her happy again.

"We just got a match to our suspect, and Greg was slightly over-enthusiastic about it," Sara slapped Greg's arm playfully. "We were just about to go call Brass, so we'll catch you guys later."

"Did that seem a little weird to you?" Nick asked as they watched the two go down the hall, joking with one another. "I mean, since when have Sara and Greg been such good friends?"

"I don't know, but like I said, anything to make our girl happy," Warrick shrugged as they headed down the hall to the other lab.

"And Greg is doing a good job of that," Hodges said dryly as they walked in.

"What do you mean by that?" Nick asked suspiciously.

"They were dancing earlier, rather closely, and though they denied dating, they shared a porn-flick worthy kiss in front of me," Hodges said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Funny Hodges," Warrick said sarcastically, not believing him for a second.

After all, Sara and Greg? It just wasn't conceivable.

A/N: Okay, that's it for this chapter. Next chapter will deal with Greg and Sara's day off, and her moving into Greg's townhouse. There will also be stuff dealing with what their thinking about the whole situation. Maybe some other fun stuff, like them buying a dog. Anyone like that idea? Let me know in a review, hint hint. I'm just kidding; if you want to review, that's great, if you just read it and enjoyed it but didn't review, that's great too! Next chapter up in a week or so.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: It's not mine, I just enjoy messing with their lives!

A/N: Hello everyone, thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying it, cause I'm having a blast writing it. And just to re-cap; I know I've taken author's liberties with things like Greg coming from a wealthy family, what his family's like, what Sara's family's like, where Greg lives, and their pets. Secondly, I know one or two people commented that Sara wouldn't be so open about her family, but I'm going to say that with counseling, she's learning to be more open. I also know that how they'll be acting in this chapter and some of the things they're doing aren't really in character for them. There's a part later on that talks a little bit about that. Also, one of the reasons I'm writing this is simply for fun, for me, not because I'm dying to write the perfect, most in-character, CSI fanfic.

A/N 2: This chapter is dedicated to **ScarletRose4** for correcting me last chapter. I said the "Love" verses were from 1 Corinthians, 1: 1-13. They're really from 1 Corinthians, 13: 4-7, plus some other, non-bible verses added on to the end. So thanks again ScarletRose4. Anyways, thanks for reading these author notes, now onto the chapter!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Three

"Good job Greg," Sara complimented him on the case they had just wrapped up as they climbed into his car to drive home.

"You too, vennen min," he complimented right back, the endearment slipping out before he could stop it.

"Vennen min, what's that?" Sara questioned.

"Darling, more or less," Greg said, fighting a blush. "It's a term of endearment pretty much."

"Darling, hmm?" Sara looked at him curiously.

"Ah well, you know," was all Greg said, and Sara decided to stop tormenting him.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow morning, around nine?" Sara asked as he pulled up in front of her apartment complex.

"Yeah," Greg nodded. "Hey, do you want me to come over later to help you box anything up?"

"Uh sure, if you want," Sara shrugged. "Come over about five. I'll order pizza."

"Okay, see you then."

"Bye," Sara started to get out of the car, but was stopped by Greg.

"Hey!" He called, indignation in his voice.

"What?"

"Where's my good-bye kiss, oh lovely wife of mine?" Greg put on an innocent face. Truth be told, he was taking advantage of the fact that they were married, and abusing it all he could.

"Sorry kjære," Sara smirked, and leaned in to give a quick peck on the lips to a surprised Greg. He didn't think she'd actually do it. "See ya tonight."

"See ya," he said, overcoming his surprise as he watched her walk away, then thought of something. "How'd she know 'dear' in Norwegian?"

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"So where should I start?" Greg questioned after they finished the veggie lover's pizza.

"If you'll work on the living room here, I think I'll get started in my bedroom," Sara suggested, pointing to some boxes. "Books and journals, the knick-knacks on the shelves, those sort of things."

"Sounds good," Greg took a box and walked over to the bookcase and began filling it up.

"Hey, is there going to be room for all my stuff, or do I need to separate some to go into storage?" Sara questioned.

"My townhouse is a fairly large one, as townhouses go. I've got one room that's pretty empty on the main floor we can convert into a library. Then there's the guest bedroom and your bedroom to also put things in. And if you there's not enough room, my attic has space."

"My bedroom?"

"Yeah. I figured you'd want your own bedroom," Greg shrugged. "We're married, but only in the most technical sense you know? I didn't want you to feel like you had to sleep with me. Not that we'd be sleeping together, but we'd be asleep in the same bed together…and I sound like an idiot, so I'm gonna shut up before my mouth gets me into more trouble."

"Good idea Gregers," Sara said with raised eyebrows.

"You're like a dog with a bone about that name," he grumbled as Sara turned to go.

"Hey, can we get one?" Sara asked suddenly, turning around.

"Get one what?" Greg looked at her confused.

"A dog. I've always wanted one, but my apartment complex didn't allow them."

"What about Belladonna?"

"Oh she'll adjust," Sara said dismissively. "So can we?"

"Uh sure," Greg shrugged, moving onto another box.

"Awesome!" Sara smiled brightly, and finally went into her room.

They worked for several hours, stopping about midnight. Greg had finished the living room and had started on the kitchen, packing up the cookware and pots and pans and utensils. He also packed up the dishes, silverware, and cups, promising to take Sara out for breakfast so she wouldn't have to worry about using paper plates or anything like that. Sara had packed her clothes away into suitcases so they'd be easily un-packable later on. She also boxed up the various knick-knacks in her room, like pictures of her family and friends and her jewelry box. She also went through the linen closet, tossing out old towels and sheets and things, only packing up the ones she really liked. She and Greg had decided to go shopping for a lot of things to make the house comfortable for both of them.

"I think that's a good start," Sara commented, surveying the much barer apartment. "Tomorrow I'll pack up the bathroom stuff and any other last minute things. I'm glad I don't have to worry about furniture and all. That would make this take even longer."

"And then we'll move it over to my place," Greg looked around too. His house already had furnishings, and he had said if she didn't like anything, they could just buy some new stuff.

So with a quick good-bye, Greg left for his townhouse and fell into bed exhausted. Sara, back at her apartment, did the same thing. A quarter to nine, Greg arrived back at Sara's and they went out for coffee and pastries at a little breakfast café Sara knew, and then back to her house to load up boxes into their SUV's. It took them quite a few trips to take all the boxes over to Greg's house and inside.

"How about a tour?" Greg suggested as they took the last load of boxes inside to the living room.

"Sure."

"Okay. Obviously, this is the living room, now library. The other room to the right of the front door is the kitchen. There's a half bathroom, and the door next to it leads to the basement which I've converted into a home theatre. It's got a widescreen TV, video game systems and games, and a stereo and all my c.d.'s and stuff. And that over there is the dining room," Greg pointed out the rooms before they went upstairs. "On to the these rooms. This is my bedroom, with a full bathroom. Your room is next to mine, with another full bath across the hall. Next to the bath is the guest room, and there's a really big closet where I keep all the extra linens and towels and things. That door at the end of the hallways leads up to the attic."

"Cool."

"So do you want to un-pack, or do you want to go get lunch and check at the SPCA?" Greg asked, and before Sara could answer, her stomach gave a rumble.

"Food and the dog, definitely," Sara blushed, slightly ashamed.

"All right, works for me," Greg skipped back out to his car, Sara following calmly behind.

"So what type of dog should we get? And do we want a puppy or an adult?" Sara asked once they were seated in a booth at McDonalds. They had decided to just junk it for lunch.

"Puppies take a _lot_ of work, so I don't think that'd be a good idea with our schedules and all," Greg thought about it. "And I don't want a dog that's really old, so maybe a one or two year old dog."

"That's what I was thinking. Now what type of dog do we want to get? Big or small?"

"I think I'd be happy with whatever, but smaller dogs seem to be yappier to me, so I'd like a bigger one. What about you?"

"Big!" Sara said so enthusiastically that Greg almost shot soda out of his nose. "I always wanted a big dog growing up. One of those that I could rough house with and hug, and not worry about hurting."

"Well, let's go see what the SPCA has," Greg said as they threw away their trash and climbed back into the car, Sara driving this time. "And hey, we don't _have_ to get a dog today. We can always check back in a few weeks and look then."

"I know," Sara said as she pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road.

"Hey Sara," Greg said after a few minutes of silence, except for the radio.

"Yeah?"

"You know that black and white policeman's ball coming up?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Two questions," Greg started. "Number one, do you wanna go with me, and number two, what the heck is a black and white ball?"

"Yes I'd be happy to go with you," Sara laughed. "And I'm surprised you don't know, since your parents were important officials. Anyways, at a black and white ball, you can only wear black and white. For men, that typically means a tux, and for us ladies, we get to find horrendous dresses in black, white, or black and white."

"Well I've already got a tuxedo. Will it matter if it's a really expensive Armani one?"

"No, you'll put everyone to shame with it. Most guys just rent them," Sara glanced over, impressed.

"Okay. Hey! Does this mean you're going to wear a really, really, really sexy dress!" Greg asked excitedly.

"I'll be wearing a formal gown yes, but I don't know about sexy," Sara rolled her eyes as she pulled into the lot of the SPCA. "I have to go buy a dress."

"Can I come?"

"No," Sara said with her signature smile. "It has to be a surprise."

"Damn," he pouted, but quickly smiled as they entered the air-conditioned building.

"Hello, may I help you?" a bubbly older woman greeted them.

"Yes, my husband and I would like to adopt a dog," Sara replied, surprising herself with how…_right_…it felt to say 'husband' out loud.

"Well come right this way!" The woman led them through a door, down a hallway, and into a large room with kennels around the edge of the room and two rows down the middle. "Look around. On each cage is a card that tells a little about the dog. If you have any questions, or would like to see a dog, I'll be waiting right here."

"Okay, thanks," Greg nodded, and he and Sara headed to the right and began looking at the dogs. "What about that one?"

"No way, it looks like a mop!" Sara said with a very un-Sara like giggle. They passed a few more cages. "How about that one?"

"Nah, it reminds me of Warrick's hair," Greg said, looking at the poodle. They continued to walk, now in between the two inner rows. "Maybe that one?"

"Definitely not, just look at that hair! We'd be brushing it everyday for hours," Sara shook her head as they continued walking.

"That one," Greg said pointing, his eyes lighting up at the big dog. It was a 103 pound, male, chocolate Labradoodle according to the sign. His name was Duke, and he had just turned one, coincidentally, on November 14th, their wedding day. Another note on the card informed them that since he was part poodle, he wouldn't shed, and that he had also been house-trained.

"He's perfect," Sara finished. "Excuse me, ma'am?"

"Yes?" the woman named Elsie walked down to where they were.

"Is there is dog run where we can take him and play with him, get to know him a little better?" Sara asked.

"Of course," Elsie replied, grabbing a leash and hooking it onto the dog's collar. "Right this way."

"Look at him go," Greg laughed as he threw a ball for Duke. Elsie had gone back to wait by the entrance to the dog run to give them privacy to talk.

"He keeps tripping over his paws," Sara joined in laughing as Duke came running back at her, falling into her legs.

"Oops, careful there vennen min," Greg snaked his arms around her waist, keeping her upright while she regained her footing.

"Thanks," Sara gave him an awkward smile as he threw the ball again. "Does this seem weird at all to you?"

"What?" Greg turned to look at her.

"The fact that two days ago we got married, today we moved in together, and now we are considering buying a dog together?" Sara wondered. "And the fact that it feels so comfortable? Not at all awkward like I thought it would be?"

"Nope," Greg turned back to the dog, not looking at her. "Well, I guess, yeah it's a little weird, considering how fast it all happened, and the fact that we never dated, fell in love, had an engagement period, and whatever. But if you take _that_ out of the picture, this is always how I pictured my marriage to be. Happy and comfortable. So I guess I just don't want to analyze any of this. I just want to enjoy it for now, and see where it goes. Cause even though we're not a typical married couple, we _are_ married. So I don't see anything wrong with how everything's going."

"Oh," Sara thought about what he said, crouching down to rub the dog's silky, wavy fur.

"And you know," Greg spoke up again, sounding so serious that Sara looked back up at him. "Maybe this is a sign, I mean, we've had a lot of 'em it seems. First me and my mother, than you and your brother. Isn't it convenient how we both needed this to get us out of a tricky situation? You don't know this, but when I bought our rings, they were already the perfect size, no adjustments needed. And how about when we kissed? I know I wasn't the only one who felt sparks at that. And like you just stated, about the fact that moving in together and buying this dog seems so right. Maybe someone or something up above is trying to help us see what we've been too blind to."

"Maybe so," was all Sara would say, but Greg could see that his words had made her think.

"Have you made a decision?" Elsie came over a few minutes later. Greg and Sara looked at each other and nodded.

"We'll take him!" Sara announced happily.

They went back inside and Duke was taken by an employee to get cleaned up while Sara and Greg filled out paperwork for the dog. Sara felt a thrill at signing her name 'Sara Sanders' for the first time. They were given a booklet on how to care for a dog, and a rope to use for a leash until they bought one. Conveniently, there was a Petsmart just down the road, and once they had loaded Duke into the back of the Tahoe, that's where they went.

Inside the store, the first thing Greg and Sara did was to pick out a collar and a leash. Greg managed convinced Sara that a lime green collar with spaceships on it and matching leash were perfect for Duke, saying that the dog was out of this world. They also put in an order for a dog tag with his name on it. They decided to keep his name as Duke, so as not confuse him by changing it. After getting the collar and leash, they spent the next hour wandering around picking out toys, dishes, food, and a few other accessories for the dog before checking out and heading home.

"Let me find Belladonna and introduce them to each other," Sara said upon arrival back at the house.

"Should I just hold him, or let him go?" Greg asked once she returned back with the cat in her arms.

"Hold him for now, at least until we see how they get along," Sara set her cat down, and moved back.

Belladonna stared at Duke, who cocked his head to the side before giving a single bark and wagging his tail. Belladonna moved closer and began to sniff at his feet, while Duke sniffed her all over. When he sniffed her tail though, she promptly smacked his nose with a paw before twisting through his front legs, purring.

"Well I guess they're going to be friends," Greg said with a relieved smile.

"You know what I realized?" Sara commented after they showed Duke around the house, more specifically his dog bed which would be in the living room corner.

"What?" Greg said with a smile as they watched Duke plop unceremoniously onto the bed and for all appearances go to sleep. Belladonna came over and curled up next to his stomach.

"I need to fill out a change of name and change of address form at work."

"Yeah, you're not a Sidle anymore," realization dawned on Greg. "You've joined the illustrious Sanders family!"

"Poor me," Sara said teasingly.

"More like poor me," Greg teased back, and received a punch to the shoulder. "Ouch, not nice."

"Oh I didn't hurt you."

"No, but my pride is," Greg put on a pitiful pout.

"Well I'm sure it'll be fine after some sleep. Don't forget, we have work tonight," Sara pointed out as she started to leave the room, but something on the wall caught her eye. "Hey Greg?"

"Yeah."

"What's that?" Sara pointed to a framed certificate on the wall.

"My diploma for my Ph. D. in Molecular Biology from UNLV," he said. "I finished it up taking classes part time, a few months ago in May."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Didn't think it mattered," Greg shrugged. "I mean, I don't think it's that big of a deal, and I'm kinda private about stuff like that. I mean, would you tell anyone if you got one?"

"You're right, I didn't," Sara admitted. "I got mine in Physics from UNLV too, last year."

"Hee hee, cool," Greg laughed. "We're both Dr. Sanders."

"Very observant Greg," Sara rolled her eyes, and turned toward the steps, but before she could, there was a knock on the door.

"Good afternoon Dr. Sanders," the elderly woman standing on the other side greeted Greg. Sara smiled at her heavy southern accent.

"Good afternoon Ms. Wilkinson," Greg opened the door wider and motioned for her to come inside. "How are you doing today?"

"Fair middlin' and yourself boy?"

"I'm doing great. Was there something you needed Ms. Wilkinson?"

"Just to meet this lovely young creature here," she pointed at Sara with her cane tip. "She's new, and so's the dog."

"Ms. Wilkinson, this is my wife, Dr. Sara Sanders, and our dog Duke," Greg introduced her. "Sara, this is our neighbor to the right, Eliza Wilkinson."

"Hi," Sara said, smiling a little awkwardly. "It's nice to meet you Ms. Wilkinson."

"She's a keeper," Eliza said conspiratorially to Greg as she squinted at Sara. "She won't take none of your sass."

"Trust me, I'm already well aware of that," Greg laughed, kissing the woman's offered cheek.

"Well congratulations you two," she turned to the door, calling over her shoulder. "Pleasant making your acquaintance Mrs. Sanders!"

"You too!" Sara called back as Greg closed the door behind her.

"She's taken it upon herself even since I moved in to look after me. She's also the East Water's community gossip queen. By this time tomorrow, the whole neighborhood will know about us."

"Great."

"Sorry, but she's harmless really. She's just lonely since her husband died a few years back. Hey, maybe we can just take her over to the crime lab and have her tell the guys!"

"Funny kjære, but really, we've got to get some sleep or even your coffee won't help us stay awake tonight."

"I know," Greg sighed, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Do you need some help making up your bed?"

"It's all right," Sara declined. "You go ahead to bed, it'll only take me a minute."

"All righty then, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite," Greg leaned forward and pecked her on the cheek before dashing upstairs, taking them two at a time.

Sara shook her head, thinking she had married a boy instead of a man. Walking upstairs, she went into her bedroom, which was located next to Greg's, and quickly found the box with her sheets. Opening it, she made up her bed, threw on some pajamas, and climbed in, setting her alarm clock to go off at seven o'clock so she'd have enough time to get up, shower, get dressed, eat, and get to work by her usual nine p.m.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"Hey guys," Greg greeted, waltzing into the break room with about twenty minutes to spare. He promptly sat himself on the couch next to Sara and turned so his head was in her lap.

"Comfortable Greg?" Catherine watched, amused.

"Very much so," he replied. "Hey Sara."

"What Greg?" She looked down at him with an indulgent smile on her face.

"I was just wondering, are you tired, cause you've been running through my mind all day!" Greg smiled sweetly up at her, and she smiled right back, just as sweetly, before shoving him off her lap.

"That was beyond cheesy man," Nick shook his head as he walked in, Warrick right behind him.

"Yeah, you need to learn to be smooth with the women," Warrick said, seating himself next to Catherine.

"Hey, no women can resist my charms!" Greg protested, pushing himself into a one-kneed position before Sara. "Watch this."

"Okay Romeo, give it your best shot," Sara rolled her eyes, as did Catherine while Warrick and Nick were fighting back laughs.

"You want Romeo, I can give you that," his eyes lit up as he began to recite. "_O she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, like a rich jewel in a Ethiop's ear; beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear! So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows, as yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand, hand, and touching hers, make blessed my rude. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night._ My Juliet, I beg of you to accept my invitation to the forthcoming black and white ball."

"Okay," Sara laughed when she saw Nick and Warrick suddenly sober up.

"What? You're actually going to go with him?" Nick asked, surprised.

"Can you blame me? He was Romeo," Sara pretended to sigh as if she were hopelessly in love. "Besides, now I won't get stuck going by myself."

"Maybe Shakespeare knew what he was doing after all, huh guys?" Greg stood up and strutted around the room, chest puffed out.

"Shakespeare is a man of incomparable stature," Grissom stated, walking into the room. "Only one assignment, everyone's on it. Looks like a burglary turned homicide/suicide. Two victims; one adult and one teen. House near Lake Mead. Let's go."

"You gonna be all right?" Sara asked Greg, knowing he didn't like seeing kids or teens as the victims. Especially since that one case they did with the emaciated kids locked in that basement.

"Yeah," he nodded, but still looked uneasy.

"Well, come ride with me anyways," Sara insisted as they exited the building.

"All right," Greg agreed. He knew Sara was doing it because he'd probably let himself get too emotionally evolved. He knew that she was doing it because he'd probably become upset and too unsettled to drive safely too. He knew she was doing it to protect him, and while he hated the fact that everyone did it cause he was the rookie, he could handle it from her. And the thought that she _might_ be doing it because she cared, well, that only made him feel less anxious about the impending scene.

A/N: Hey everyone. There's chapter three. I thought it was fun, what with the cute 'pet names' for each other, all the moving, the dog, and the dance invitation using Shakespeare. I love Shakespeare! And before anyone comments that a cat and dog would never get along immediately like that, mine did. That's where I'm basing that off of. As always, reviews are appreciated and the next chapter will be up in a week or so.


	4. Chapter Four

Disclaimer: It's not mine, I just enjoy messing with underpants…I mean, lives! I mean I enjoy messing with their lives. Hee hee, slip up!

A/N: Hello again to all you lovely little CSI fanfic obsessed computer zombies! How's it going? Good, good, glad to hear it. Anywho, thanks as always for the reviews! For those who asked, you'll find out about Sara's Norwegian knowledge in this chapter (I took liberties, again), and in this chapter I use a little bit of Norwegian (with English translations after). I do not claim to know Norwegian, I used a translator, so the syntax probably isn't correct. Anyone who _does _speak it, and would like to correct me, please do!

A/N 2: Here's a poll: Do you want the team to find out about their marriage sooner (like the next chapter or two), or later (like after Thanksgiving or Christmas)? And I welcome any input as to _when_ or _how_ they find out. I've got a couple of ideas, but it's always nice to see if anyone has similar thoughts. So let me know in a review or e-mail what you think. Now that that's done, on to the chapter!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Four

"What do we got Jim?" Grissom asked as he and his team arrived at the crime scene and got out of their Tahoe's.

"Neighbor called it in, heard shots," Brass began walking to the house. "One Mary Beth Watson, age seventy four. Shot once in the chest. Other vic was Carly Black, gunshot to the temple. Next to her was a bag filled with some silver pieces, some c.d.'s and some DVD's. Best guess? Girl was robbing the place, Watson heard her and came downstairs. She was probably startled and shot her, then felt guilty and shot herself."

"Time of death?" Nick asked, seeing David waiting near the coroner's van for them to process the body.

"David said about three hours," Brass said after flipping through his notes.

"Okay, where are the neighbors?" Warrick asked.

"Kevin Marsh lives to the right of the victim, he was the one to call it in," Brass gestured to where a middle-aged, balding, gentleman was leaning against the hood of a police car, being questioned. He then shifted and pointed to where another officer was standing with a young couple. "The neighbors on the left are over there. They just got back from vacation an hour ago."

"All right, Catherine, you've got the neighbors," Grissom began assigning them their individual tasks. "Nick, you've got the outside. Warrick, you take the teen. Greg, work with Warrick. Sara, you're with me on the woman, now let's go."

"I'll take pictures?" Sara questioned as they entered the house.

"Sure," Grissom agreed, immediately taking in the scene visually, along with everyone else.

The small entryway they were in merged with what one would call a living room. Along the right wall was a rather large fireplace, with a couch and two chairs framing it. Along the left wall was a staircase, with the older woman lying in front of it. The other body was to the right, near the couch, a pillowcase near the vic's hand with c.d.'s spilling out. Warrick and Greg head over to the younger girl, while Grissom and Sara headed to the older woman.

"Oh God," Greg gasped, as he moved around to take pictures of the front of the girl.

"What's wrong?" Warrick asked as Greg paled.

"If you're gonna be sick, get out of the house!" Grissom yelled, not unkindly, and Greg ran out not a split second later.

"Greg!" Sara called, running out after him. She caught up to him across the street, where he was emptying his stomach. "Hey, are you okay kjære?"

"That girl," Greg replied, trembling, wiping off his mouth. "She looked just like Kelly did at that age."

"Hey man, you okay?" Nick came over, followed by Catherine, Grissom, and Warrick, all who were looking worried about him.

"Hei. Jeg er Sara, Greg's kone," Sara spoke into her cellphone, and Greg looked up, startled. "Er Kelly der, behage?" (Hi, I'm Sara, Greg's wife. Is Kelly there, please?)

"Takk skal du ha, vennen min," Greg smiled up at her gratefully as she handed the phone over to him a moment later. (Thank you, darling.)

"Is he okay?" Nick repeated, this time to Sara. Greg had taken the phone and sat down on the curb a few meters away.

"The girl in there looked like his sister did at that age," Sara answered, watching Greg. "It scared him."

"Okay," Catherine understood that. Everyone did, they all had cases where victims reminded them of someone they knew. "Who were you talking to on the phone, and what language were you speaking?"

"I called his family so he could talk to his sister, and I was speaking Norwegian."

"Thanks," Greg repeated as he came to stand next to Sara, who squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "Sorry about that Grissom."

"It's all right Greg, are you okay?" Grissom asked.

"Yeah, I think so," he nodded. "Talking to my sister helped."

"That's good. I think we can cover things if you want to head back to the lab," Grissom suggested.

"Nah, I'll stay."

"Okay, then why don't you work with Sara on the old woman, and I'll work with Warrick, is that's all right?"

"Sure, thanks Grissom," Greg nodded gratefully.

"C'mon kjære, let's get processing," Sara nudged him as the other began going back to their respective tasks.

"How'd you know my family's number?" Greg asked. "And how do you know Norwegian?"

"I went through your cell the other day and put the number into my cell in case there was ever an emergency," Sara smiled sheepishly. "When you said that girl looked like Kelly, I thought you'd want to talk to her, just to reassure yourself that it wasn't. And after my mom killed my dad, I went into foster care as you know. Well, one of them was with this older woman who was Norwegian. From the time I was fourteen till I left for Harvard I stayed with her, and she taught me."

"Now we've got our own language that they can't understand," said Greg with a mischievous grin. He then turned serious, and suddenly stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her shoulder. "Thank you so much, for calling Kelly. I really needed that."

Sara brought her arms up; one to the back of his head, and the other to his back. Moving her hand slowly, she rubbed his back in what she hoped was a comforting manner. She didn't say anything though, knowing the last bit of shock of seeing that girl was wearing off. She was a little surprised at how he turned to her for comfort, and not someone like Catherine who was "the mom," but she didn't question it. Holding him like this, and being the one he turned too struck a chord inside of her, and stirred an emotion she couldn't place.

Across the street, the others had stopped to look back and see what they were doing when they didn't hear them following. They watched the tender moment between Greg and Sara in a surprised silence. None of them had seen Greg almost break down like that, or Sara act that nurturing.

"Maybe Hodges was right," said Warrick absent-mindedly.

"About what?" Catherine turned to look at him.

"That there's something going on between them," Warrick replied.

"We dropped off some evidence for him to process, and he said he walked in on them dancing and kissing," Nick clarified. "Although he said they denied dating."

"Whether they are or not, it isn't our business," Grissom interjected. "And even if they are, they have continued to prove to be professional while working."

"Oh come on," Catherine rolled her eyes. "You can't tell me that you aren't the least bit curious."

"Again, whether I am or not, it's none of our business," Grissom gave his typical, infuriating, all-knowing smile, and disappeared into the house.

"Well, we'll just have to ask them about it over breakfast," Catherine decided, and Nick and Warrick nodded, before they all turned back to their tasks at hand.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"Okay, what is up with you three?" said Sara in exasperation after taking another bite of food.

"Yeah, you've been staring at us since we've gotten here," Greg chimed in.

"What's the deal between you two?" Catherine pointed back and forth between them. "You're acting all tight with each other."

"Tight?" Nick looked at her oddly.

"Lindsay used it the other day," Catherine explained, then turned back to Sara and Greg.

"We're friends, is there something wrong with that?" Sara said defensively.

"No, but you guys don't usually talk all that much," Warrick took a sip of coffee. "And the other day Hodges said that you two were dancing and then kissed in front of him."

"Yeah," Greg nodded. "We were waiting for some results and I was bored while listening to this c.d. mix my sister sent, so I made Sara dance with me. The kiss was simply to annoy Hodges."

"Okay, I'll buy that," Nick nodded slowly. "But why are you two going to the ball together then? You're not dating are you?"

"No, I can honestly say we're not dating," Greg assured him, fighting to keep from laughing. It was true they weren't dating; they were married. Big difference, but he wasn't about to correct Nick.

"And didn't I already tell you we're going to the ball together so I wouldn't get stuck going by myself?" Sara rolled her eyes. "Besides, having a date gives me an excuse to buy a fancy dress since I don't own any. It's probably a good idea to have one for occasions like this in the future."

"You don't have a dress?" Catherine repeated, a glint coming into her eyes.

"No," Sara said slowly, not liking the look in her eyes.

"All right guys, we'll see you later!" Catherine said jubilantly standing up, grabbing Sara out of her seat also. "I've got to get Cinderella a dress for the ball."

"Help!" Sara mouthed to the guys, who of course didn't do anything but wave, cracking up with laughter as Sara was dragged out of the diner.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"So where are you taking me?" Sara smiled, having resigned herself to accept the situation.

"An old friend of mine opened a shop a few years ago," Catherine explained as they were driving. "She carries lots of the types of clothes that exotic dancers need, but she also has a good selection of sexy evening gowns. Some leave very little to the imagination, but most are just gorgeous! And with your figure, you'll have no trouble finding something to make the kiddy's mouths water."

"Oh well good, that's just what I wanted," Sara replied sarcastically, although she couldn't help but think, "_I want to look like that for Greg_."

"Here we are," Catherine announced as they pulled into a parking space in front of a rather seedy looking shop.

"Cocoa's Loco Fashions," Sara read the neon pink sign flickering over the doorway.

"Don't let the name or the appearance fool you, it's a great place," Catherine said pulling open the door. "I always buy my gowns here."

"Catty, is that you!" An excited squeal came from behind the counter.

"You know it!" Catherine ran over to hug the very buxom brunette who had seen better days. "Cocoa, this is one of my co-workers, Sara Sidle. Sara, this is one of my old friends Cocoa."

"Hi," Sara held out her hand, but it was knocked aside as Cocoa pulled her into a hug, kissing the air by her cheek.

"Well aren't you a pretty one," Cocoa looked her up and down. "So what can I do for you sweetie?"

"I need an evening gown, for a black and white ball," Sara replied, an amused smile on her face.

"Well the gowns are along that section, so get looking. If you two need anything, I'll be over by the counter doing inventory," Cocoa winked at Catherine and Sara.

"Catty?" Sara looked over at Catherine as they began to look through the gowns.

"My old nickname around the other pole girls," she explained. "All right, I think I've found a few, so I'm going to try them on."

"Yeah, I think I've found one or two that might work," Sara said, adding silently. "_One or two that actually covers some skin_."

Several dresses later, Catherine finally found one she liked. Her gown of choice was a black strapless, floor-length gown with groups of sparkles interspersed on it. The gown was clingy in all the right spots, emphasizing her bust and hips. The gown also sported a slit up to mid-thigh, and came with above-the-elbow gloves. It looked fabulous on her, simply put.

"Hey Cath, how's this look?" Sara stepped out several minutes later with yet another gown. She thought this was the one for her, but wanted to get Catherine's opinion.

"Oh…my…god….Sara, they're going to die!" Catherine said looking her over.

"Spin around," Cocoa said as she came over. "Very sexy sweetie. You'll have your man doing whatever you want all night long."

Sara turned around and appraised herself in the mirror. She was getting tired after having looked for nearly two hours, and she happily decided that this one was perfect for her. It wasn't something that she would typically pick out, but she had decided to try it on a whim, thinking Greg would appreciate it. The sleeveless black gown was form fitting, with a high straight neckline across her collarbone. The dress was backless, almost to the point of indecency, going very low on her back. The skirt of the gown hugged her hips, but flared out towards the bottom, with a small train in back. (A/N: Think like the dress Hilary Swank wore at the Oscars, except with no sleeves)

"All right, let's pay for this," Sara smiled, coming back out a minute later, redressed in her jeans and shirt.

"Discounts for both of you," Cocoa said with a smile as she rang up the dresses. "For you Catty cause you're an old friend, and for you Sweetie cause you just looked so sexy you'll knock the socks off your fellow."

"You really think I looked that good?" Sara asked hesitantly.

"Are you kidding?" Catherine looked at her incredulously.

"Very sexy, and just think," Cocoa pointed out. "You'll look twice as good once you get yourself all dolled up with accessories, and with your hair done and make-up on that pretty face of yours."

Sara just blushed, and gave a small smile. She was a little flustered at the compliments, and the sincerity both women showed when giving them. She had always been so self critical of her figure and her appearance, it was a little difficult for her to really believe that she looked good.

"Hey, Catherine?"

"Yeah?" Catherine turned to look at her as they walked back out to the car.

"Thanks, that was fun," Sara smiled. "Although Cocoa was…interesting, to say the least."

"Yeah, she's one in a million. Something I think the world is grateful for, as we probably couldn't handle another like her," she laughed as they began driving.

"Hey Cath, you need to turn around and head back the other way."

"Why?" Catherine looked at Sara as if she were crazy. "Your apartment's this way."

"Yeah, but I have a pest problem, so I'm staying with Greg until they get it fixed," Sara lied smoothly. She thought that when they did tell everyone about them, she and Greg should do it together.

"Oh, so that's one of the reasons you two have gotten closer," Catherine commented, making a U-turn at the next light.

"Yeah. It's kinda hard to not learn anything about anyone when you're occupying the same house as them," Sara said sarcastically. "But seriously, we've become pretty good friends."

"I know, the evidence never lies, remember?" Catherine imitated Grissom before laughing. "Well I for one am glad you two are. Now don't get mad at me for saying this, but I think you two tend to be too independent. I know everyone is always telling you as a CSI that you have to have an outlet, and I don't think you do."

"I didn't use to, but I'm working on that," Sara sighed, knowing Catherine was right.

"Greg," Catherine stated.

"He's part of it anyways. He's…fun…for lack of a better word, I guess. He's helping me loosen up," Sara shook her head to clear her mind as they pulled into the driveway of the townhouse. "You want to come in for a cup of coffee?"

"Sure. Lindsay's going to a friend's after school, so I'm free for the day," Catherine shrugged, turning the car off and climbing out.

"Greg?" Sara called out. "You here?"

"In the kitchen," Greg called out. "Oh, I just made some coffee too."

"Hey Greggo," Catherine ruffled his hair as she walked into the kitchen to see Greg brushing a dog. "Who's this fella?"

"That's Duke," Sara introduced as she walked into the room, having had to put her gown away. "We got him yesterday."

"Cool," Catherine leaned down to rub Duke's belly, apparently not noticing the 'we' pronoun. "He's a cutie."

"You like it black, right Cath?" Sara asked, pouring some coffee into a mug.

"Right now it could be pink and blue polka dotted and I probably wouldn't care, but yeah, black is great," Catherine smiled gratefully, taking the coffee cup and going into the living room to look at something that had caught her eye.

"Hey Sara," Greg whispered conspiratorially once Catherine left the room.

"Yeah Greg?"

"Look what Pastor Fanning sent in the mail," Greg handed her some pictures. "Lillian took them."  
Sara sat down before flipping through the photos. There were three of them. The first showed Sara and Greg sitting next to each other on the pew while waiting, their hands touching as Greg made sure Sara was okay with what they had been about to do. The next was of them, Sara and Greg, standing next to Pastor Fanning. The last though, was the one that Sara stared at the longest. It was of her and Greg sharing their first kiss; she hadn't even seen the camera flash, due to all the fireworks in her mind.

"Hey, I've got a question for you two," Catherine came back into the room, and Sara quickly slid the photos under some papers on the table.

"Shoot," Greg mimicked a gun with his hand before hopping up on the counter.

"Why is there a framed Ph. D. diploma on the wall, and a framed Ph. D. diploma on the desk?" Catherine asked. "With your names on them?"

"Well, I got mine in May, and Sara got hers last year," Greg answered.

"And I hadn't bothered to buy a frame for it yet, and Greggo here happened to have an extra one, so I brought it over," Sara quickly improvised once again.

"Okay, but why didn't you tell us?" Catherine looked at them incredulously. "Do you know how great it is for the lab to have three doctoral degree holding CSI's on staff?"

"I don't know," Greg shrugged. "I guess it just never came up."

"Well, you're going to tell everyone at work tonight, or I will," Catherine said determinedly, finishing off the last sip of her coffee.

"All right, we will," Greg rolled his eyes at her, and received a smack upside the head. "Ow! No hitting, only Sara has abusing privileges."

"You keep telling yourself that," Catherine put her cup in the sink. "Well I'm going to go get some beauty sleep, so I'll see you later."

"Bye Catty," Sara called with a laugh as she showed Catherine out.

"Bye Sweetie," Catherine fluttered her fingers at her before climbing in the tahoe.

"Sweetie?" Greg questioned, coming up behind Sara as she closed the door. "Should I be worried?"

"Hardly kjære. It's just what Catherine's old friend Cocoa kept calling me at the store."

"All right, whatever you say vennen min," Greg smiled. "Whatever you say."

"Well it's about time you learned that," Sara laughed as they headed upstairs. "Now, since it's such a beautiful day and I'm hyped up on coffee, we're going to give Duke a bath."

"Aw man, this means I'm gonna get wet, doesn't it?" Greg whined from in his room.

"Yup, so get on some old clothes, grab the dog, and meet me out back," Sara said with another laugh as she headed into the small backyard.

She grabbed a couple of buckets and filled them up with water, and threw in a sponge. Grabbing the bottle of anti-flea and tick shampoo they had bought the other day, she set it near the towels as she waited for Greg. He came out a minute later dressed in a pair of tattered-hem jean shorts, and no shirt. Sara had to keep herself from staring at him. He wasn't as muscled as Nick or Warrick maybe, but his six-pack and muscles were still impressive. It made her wonder why he always wore such loose clothes.

Greg meanwhile was having the same staring problem. Sara was wearing a pair of shorts that showed off her long legs, paired with an old, stained, midriff showing tank-top. Nothing spectacular, but for some reason, he just wanted to pull her to him and kiss her senseless.

"All right, let's hose him down and then get this shampoo on him," Sara suggested, and with Greg holding Duke in place, she carefully began spraying the dog down.

"Shampoo?" Greg motioned to the bottle and old rags.

They squirted the shampoo on liberally, and worked it into Duke's wavy hair, with him wagging his tail all along in enjoyment. Soon Duke was covered in bubble suds, and of course it was at that moment that he saw a squirrel in the corner of the yard, and took off after it.

"Oof," Greg grunted as Sara fell forward onto him, as she had been leaning against Duke while changing her footing. "I know I'm gorgeous, but the whole women falling for me thing is getting old."

"Ha ha very funny," retorted Sara, but she couldn't help but laugh.

"You've got some bubbles on your nose," Greg said, his hands still resting on her waist while hers were flat against his chest, keeping her from completely leaning on him.

"I do?" Sara reached a hand up and felt her nose. "No I don't."

"You do now," Greg reached a hand up and swiped a finger over her nose, leaving a trail of suds.

"Hey!" Sara moved a hand to wipe some suds on his face, but he grabbed both her hands in his, causing her to fall firmly against him.

Greg and Sara struggled, laughing all the while. Sara desperately tried to get her hands free so she could retaliate. Greg however, was stronger than he looked, and didn't plan on letting her go any time soon it seemed. So Sara went to plan B. Stopping her struggling, she looked into his eyes right before capturing his lips in a kiss. He let go of her hands almost immediately and moved his hands to her back, running them over her smooth, wet skin. Sara pulled back for a minute, and just as Greg leaned his head up to kiss her again, her hand came into view, holding the hose, and began spraying him.

"Ahh, no fair!" He yelled, scrambling to get away. "Your kisses should only be used for good, not evil!"

"All's fair in love and war," Sara laughed, continuing to bombard him with a steady stream of water. At least until he found the faucet and turned off the water. "All right, I surrender."

"Yay!" Greg began jumping around, doing a happy dance. "So what do I win?"

"The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity today to help me rinse and dry our dog," Sara smiled while pointing to where Duke was rolling around on the grass, legs spread out, bubble suds still clinging to his fur.

"Awesome!" Greg pumped his fist. "Just what I always wanted, sweet man!"

They finished washing Duke off, and rubbed him dry till his fur was glistening in the sunlight. After drying themselves off, they all went back into the house. Duke promptly went to his bed in the living room and flopped down on it. He was asleep within minutes.

"He's got the right idea," said Greg, stifling a yawn.

"We're gonna be toast tonight, but it was fun," Sara agreed, leaning against him sleepily.

"C'mon vennen min, up to bed for a few hours anyways."

"I think I'm too tired to move."

"You're just lazy," Greg stated before he promptly turned and scooped her up in his arms.

"Greg, you're going to hurt yourself," Sara protested, sliding her arms around his neck as he carried her upstairs and into her bedroom.

"Sleep well," he smiled, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"You too," she mumbled back sleepily, and was out like a light a minute later.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"So, did you tell them?" Was the first thing out of Catherine's mouth as she walked into the break room where everyone was gathered, waiting for shift to start.

"Did who tell us what?" Grissom looked at her.

"No, we didn't," said Greg sheepishly, holding up his hands as if to ward off her glare.

"Didn't what?" Warrick looked from him to Catherine.

"Don't look at us like that Cath, we forgot," Sara snapped in irritation.

"Hello?" Nick interjected. "Someone want to clue the rest of us in?"

"These two apparently neglected to mention the fact that they obtained their doctoral degree in Molecular Biology and Physics, respectively," Catherine announced, pointing a finger first at Greg, then Sara.

"Hey, that's awesome!" Warrick exclaimed with a smile.

"Yeah, way to go you guys," Nick gave Sara a hug, then clapped Greg on the back.

"Congratulations," Grissom smiled before turning business-like. "As for assignments, there's nothing new. We just need to wrap up the ends of the case last night. Then you all can finish up any necessary paperwork and hang around in case something shows up."

"You got anything to do?" Greg looked over at Sara as the others filed out to do their paperwork.

"I finished up the last of my paperwork the other day, you?" She asked back.

"Same, and Hodges and Mia are both in the lab, so I think a nap sounds good right about now," Greg stood up and went over to the couch where Sara was sitting and lied down on it, pulling her with him.

"We can't take a nap, and not together," Sara protested, but if was only half-heartedly as she was still very tired from not getting enough sleep earlier.

"We don't have anything to do, and they'll wake us if something comes up," Greg mumbled with his eyes already closed, and since she was feeling too tired to argue, she uncharacteristically gave in.

And it wasn't till nearly an hour later, that someone discovered them.

A/N: Mwa Ha Ha! I'm evil; I left y'all with a cliffie. Anyone want to venture a guess as to who finds them? I'll give you a hint- a reviewer mentioned that it'd be funny if kept seeing them, and no one believed . Next chapter up in a week or so, and review if you want, it's cool if you don't. I just hope you enjoyed the story!


	5. Chapter Five

Disclaimer: You ought to know by now, so say it with me…"CSI and Co. don't belong to me, I just enjoy messing with their lives!"

A/N: Hey y'all once again! Oh my gosh, I never expected this story to do as well as it has been. I was expecting a grand total of five reviews a chapter, and that only if I was lucky lol. So thanks for making this a success! Thanks to the people who reviewed informing me that my "Norwegian" sucked lol. I think I'll refrain from using it, other than their nicknames, and because I'm lazy, I'm not going to go back and change it. Also, thanks to everyone who answered my poll; y'all gave me some great ideas! Now, onto the chapter, which will be shorter than some of the others, but it's got good stuff in it, like the person who finds them, and a couple of other funny parts. Also, some fluffy goodness near the end. Now onto what you really want to read; the story!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Five

"Dr. Grissom, I've got your results-" Hodges stopped abruptly as he walked into the break room in search of Grissom. "They aren't dating my ass."

In his opinion, Greg and Sara were once again looking awfully cozy for two people who, and he quoted, 'were not dating'. They were on the lounge couch, sleeping soundly to all appearances. Sara was on her side, her back against the couch. She was lying with her head on Greg's chest, one hand curled up under her chin. Her other hand was resting near her head, flat on Greg's chest. His hand was covering hers, while his other arm was around her back. To anyone who didn't know them better, they'd say that they looked like a couple very much in love.

"We'll see if they don't believe me now!" Hodges gave a satisfied smirk and disappeared in search of someone from the nightshift.

"Did you just have the same nightmare as me?" Greg whispered sleepily, holding her tighter, not wanting to get up yet.

"If you mean the one where Hodges caught us once again in a compromising situation, then yeah, I did," she whispered back, also feeling too comfortable and relaxed to move just yet.

"Maybe we should just stay here and let everyone find out," Greg said through a yawn.

"Maybe."

"But if we get up, we'll ruin Hodges' fun," Greg played devil's advocate with himself.

"Definitely get up then," Sara said sleepily.

With Greg's help, she sat up, stretching as she got to her feet. She tugged on Greg's hands and pulled him to his feet too. They each poured a cup of coffee, and sat down next to each other at the table and began working on a crossword puzzle. Not a minute later they heard voices outside the door.

"They're in here, spooning on the couch," Hodges whispered, and a second later they saw Catherine stick her head in.

"No they're not," she replied to Hodges, an annoyed look on her face as she stepped into the break room.

"What!" Hodges entered the room also. "You two!"

"Yes?" Greg looked up at him, an all-too-innocent smile on his face.

"You were sleeping together!" Hodges accused, pointing towards the couch.

"No we weren't," Sara raised an eyebrow at him for a second before turning back to the crossword puzzle. "What's a six letter word for place of perfection?"

"Utopia?" Greg suggested after looking at the puzzle.

"You mean just like you said that you weren't dating after I saw you kiss?" Hodges tried again.

"Kiss?" Greg put on a confused expression. "Do you need glasses Hodges? Cause I think you've been seeing things."

"No I haven't!" He whined, crossing his arms and looking very much like a petulant child. "I've never seen anything that wasn't there."

"Then you must need some type of anti-hallucinogen, cause you're definitely imagining things," Greg smiled innocently, spinning around in the chair.

Catherine and Sara had been doing their best to keep from laughing, but at the look on Greg's face, they burst out laughing. Hodges turned to glare at both of them, and that only made them grab their stomachs as they laughed harder. Catherine collapsed into a chair next to Sara, and they leaned on each other as Hodges huffed in annoyance before leaving the room.

"Oh…my…lord…" Catherine gasped out, trying to get her breathing back under control.

"That…was priceless!" Sara laughed, wiping her eyes as she stood up to go get another cup of coffee.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Nick looked at them as he entered, Warrick and Grissom right behind him.

"And what's up with Hodges? He just gave Grissom the results…without sucking up," Warrick added.

Those words sent the girls into another fit of laughter. Catherine collapsed back into the chair, resting her head on her arms, her shoulders shaking with laughter. Sara had been standing, intent on getting another cup of coffee, and the slight lack of oxygen from laughing so hard caused her to start to fall, but Greg was there and swiftly scooped her up in his arms. The others looked on in amusement at the two of them. It was odd to see them acting so close, but since both of them were so much happier these days, they didn't dwell on why they were.

"All right vennen min, calm down," he shook his head in amusement as she burrowed her face in his shoulder. "Try to actually breathe."

"Okay, okay, we're calm, I promise," Sara assured him a moment later. "You can put me down now kjære."

"Sure thing," he carefully set her on her feet, keeping a hand on her elbow to make sure she was steady enough.

"You know, I don't think I want to know," Nick looked at the three of them like they were crazy.

"You don't, trust me," Catherine wiped her face with a handkerchief that Warrick handed her. "Just promise me one thing."

"Sure," Nick nodded.

"Don't say Hodges' name again for a while," she gave a small laugh, and Sara clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from starting up again.

"We'll be sure not to," Warrick answered, shaking his head. Just then a cell phone went off, and everyone went to check theirs.

"It's mine," Greg spoke up before answering it. "Sanders. Oh hi Ms. Wilkinson. What? Okay, we'll be there in a few minutes. Thanks for letting us know."

"What'd she want?" Sara looked over at him.

"Duke's howling like a siren she says," he answered, and everyone but Catherine looked confused at the name Duke. "She thinks he might be hurt or something."

"Who's Duke?" Grissom looked at them.

"The puppy. Except he's one year old, so he's really not quite a puppy," Sara explained.

"Hey Gris, is it all right if we go home and check it out?" Greg asked.

"Sure. You can go ahead and clock out too, if you want. Shift's almost over, and I doubt we'll get any cases. If we do, I'll page you," Grissom nodded.

"Sweet," Sara exclaimed. "See you guys later!"

"Did anyone else pick up on the part 'if _we_ go home' other than me?" Warrick asked, looking at the others after Greg and Sara had left.

"Sara's staying with Greg," Catherine explained. "She's got a pest problem, and he offered her a guest room."

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"Oh my lord," Greg burst out laughing once they entered their house and found where Duke was.

Duke had somehow managed to get his head stuck between the bars of the stair handrail. His head could just fit between them when it was vertical, but in his panic, Duke had turned his head trying to get it out, and it wouldn't obviously. Sara glared at Greg who was doing nothing before going over to Duke. She physically turned him so his head was straight again, and helped him ease it from between the bars. Duke threw himself at her and she fell back against the wall as he cuddled into her. Greg sat down next to her, and they both began to rub and pet the shaking dog.

"Poor baby," Sara kissed the now much calmer dog on the head.

"More like stupid baby," Greg gave another laugh as Belladonna came over and hopped up onto Greg's shoulder, sitting primly. (A/N: My cat does this!)

"Maybe just a little," Sara agreed. "But it's all right, cause you have to be crazy or stupid to be part of this family we've created."

"You're admitting that you and your cat are stupid or crazy?"

"Well, Belladonna likes you, and I married you, so we must be."

"Very funny," he elbowed her gently, so as not to disturb the sleeping dog. Worn out from his howling, he had gone to sleep on their laps.

"I'm glad you agree," she smiled. "So whose car do you want to take tomorrow night?"

"About that…" he trailed off nervously. "Don't hate me, but the other day my mom called, and I mentioned the ball, and she insisted on arranging for a limo to come pick us up."

"Really? Cool, I've never been in a limo before!" Sara said excitedly.

"All part of the grand entrance we're gonna make. I can't wait to see you in a dress!" Greg waggled his eyebrows up and down. "You only ever wear pants."

"Well duh. Dresses aren't the best thing for working," she rolled her eyes. "And you saw me in shorts the other day."

"True, but still, that's a type of pants," he pointed out. "I dare you to wear a skirt, no wait, a mini-skirt, to work some evening."

"Yeah right," scoffed Sara. "What happens in the field, Mr. Smarty Pants?"

"Well, I'll do all the dirty work. You only have to do photos or fingerprinting, or easily collectible evidence."

"And if I'm not paired with you?" She countered.

"Well, I'm sure the other guys will be so busy staring at your gorgeously long, legs-for-days, that they'll do whatever you command."

"Very funny, but my legs are nowhere near gorgeous or for days. That's Catherine, from all her dancing. She's got the looks and figure that guys like."

"Nope," Greg shook his head.

"What do you mean nope?"

"Just that, nope. I said your legs were gorgeous, but that was a lie," Greg started.

"See," Sara interrupted.

"I wasn't finished," he put a finger to her lips. "Your legs _are_ gorgeous, but so are you…all of you. There's not a single thing that isn't. Your eyes and hair especially."

"You mean it?" she asked timidly, once again, wanting the approval she had never really gotten from anyone.

"Hell yeah! In the lab sometimes, back when I had that major crush on you, you'd come in and I'd get distracted because I'd want to run my fingers through your hair," he admitted, somewhat bashfully, putting an arm around her shoulder and doing just that. "Definitely a perk of being married to you."

"You know it's funny," Sara commented, closing her eyes at the tingles that were running down her spine as his nimble fingers played gently with her hair, massaging her scalp and neck lightly also.

"Hmm?"

"I said no those times you asked me out on a date, but I said yes to marrying you," she laughed softly.

"Like I said, Lady Luck was on my side, and someone up above answered my prayers," he smiled, and turned his head to press a kiss to her hair. "You know I care about you, right vennen min? And that I'll always be here for you, no matter what we end up as in the future."

"Yeah, I do," she tilted her head so she could look him in the eye.

"Good. Just wanted to make sure," he said sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes, completely ruining the moment.

"Well that was a nice touch," she smacked him on the arm, startling both dog and cat, who decided a nap would be better enjoyed elsewhere and left.

"I thought so too, now come on, we've got the ball tomorrow, or I guess actually tonight," Greg amended, seeing it was a little past four a.m. "And we're already behind on sleep, so we need to catch up."

"All right," Sara agreed, letting Greg pull her to her feet.

"Good night," he said, heading for the stairs.

"What, no good night kiss?" Sara mocked him.

"Must have slipped my mind," he apologised, and turned around and came back. Leaning his head down, he met her lips lightly, so lightly that it could hardly be called a kiss.

"You're going to have to do better than that," she teased as he pulled back.

"And what'll I get in return?" he retorted cheekily.

"My company in bed tonight," she smirked at the look on his face before she added, "Just sleeping."

"Darn."

"Actually, I've been having nightmares, about the lab explosion again," her voice trailed off in a whisper, and she looked down at her hand, where a faint scar could be seen.

"I still have 'em too," he took her hand and they began to walk upstairs. "You could've talked to me, I mean even before we got married you know. I think I probably understand better than anyone."

"I know, I just have a hard time opening up," she admitted. "It's something I talked about in counseling, and I'm really working on opening up."

"You're doing great," he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand. "Don't feel like you _have_ to though. But anytime you want to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks."

"You'll be over in a few minutes?"

"Yeah, I'm just gonna throw on my p.j.'s," she nodded, and disappeared into her room to change while Greg went into his room and just took on his shirt and pants, leaving his boxers.

Greg pulled back the quilt and sheet that were on his bed, and moved his pillow to one side.

"Do you have a side preference?" He asked as Sara came in carrying a pillow, wearing shorts and a cami.

"Not really," she shrugged, throwing her pillow down in the empty spot.

"All righty then," Greg replied as she climbed into bed.

"Good night kjære," Sara gave him a quick smile before he turned out the light.

"Good night vennen min," he yawned, climbing into bed.

A few minutes later, after some tossing and turning, they came to an unspoken agreement. Sara wiggled over towards Greg's open arms and curled up against him, both taking the comfort. It was in that position that they both fell asleep not long after.

A/N: Okay, that's it. Sorry it's shorter than the others, but just think about how the next chapter is going to be longer than my usual ones because of the ball and stuff. So please don't hate me too much lol. As clichéd as it sounds sometimes, real life does get in the way of writing this, and of the time I have to write. As always, feel free to review, but as long as you enjoyed it, that's enough for me!


	6. Chapter Six

Disclaimer: I should probably do a proper one of these, at least once. All of CSI and the stuff associated with it belong to CBS and Co. blah, blah, blah.

A/N: Thanks for the _AWESOME_ reviews and support! I have so much fun writing this bit of fluff, and I'm glad y'all enjoy it. Nothing much to say; I think though that I will wait to 'drop the bomb' on the team for a while. Also, I use a little Norwegian, except it's just in _italics _and not my lame attempt at Norwegian with a translator. Now onto the long awaited ball scene!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Six

"Saaaarrrrrraaaaaaa," Greg whined through her closed door. It was a quarter till seven, and with the traffic, it would take them a half hour to get to the Venetian. It was safe to say that they were running a little late.

"What?" she called back.

"The limo has been here a while, we're going to be late, and I can't get my cuff-links on," Greg continued to whine, but when Sara opened the door and stepped out a minute later, he froze.

She looked gorgeous, although that didn't even begin to describe her appearance. The gown looked stunning on her, especially paired with the low strappy heels she wore. Her hair was twisted back from the front, and clipped in place with delicate little clips. The rest of her hair had been curled and pinned up, a few strands left down to accentuate her neck and shoulder line. Sara had gone very light on the make up, only using lipstick and a light gray eye-shadow, nothing else. In regards to jewelry, she wore a simple diamond solitaire pendant on a delicate silver chain, with matching studs. Tonight, she also wore her wedding and engagement rings, as did Greg, except on her right hand.

"Sara…" Greg breathed as he looked her over. "Words fail me, for once. You look, radiant vennen min, for lack of a better word!"

"Thanks kjære, you look great yourself," she complimented as she walked over to him to fix his cuff-links.

Greg was wearing a black tuxedo. The three-button, satin lapel tux fit his long frame perfectly. With the tux, he wore a crisp, white, dress shirt, complete with French cuffs. His tie was a steely gray that complimented the tux perfectly. As Sara finished, a knock came at the door.

"Ms. Wilkinson, good evening!" Sara greeted as Greg pulled open the door.

"Well you two make a handsome couple," she smiled as Greg pulled Sara to his side. "I saw the limo, and I remembered that you two work with the police, so I put two and two together. I just wanted to say have fun."

"Thanks Ms. Wilkinson, we'll be sure to," Greg smiled back as he took Sara's hand in his.

"Oh to be young again and in love," she sighed wistfully as she walked them down to the limo. "Have fun, be safe!"

"We will," Sara called out, and with a last wave, the limo pulled away.

Even with the limo driver taking a few short cuts, by the time they arrived, it was half past eight. As the driver opened the door, Greg and Sara were bombarded with flashes of light as they emerged onto the red carpet that had been placed in honor of the mayor. The reporters didn't really know who they were, but they had arrived in a stretch Lincoln town car limo, so they must be pretty important. Greg and Sara ignored their questions and quickly made their way inside the Venetian, and to the ballroom.

"Sara, Greg!" Catherine met then almost as soon as they entered, having just been to the bathroom nearby.

"Cath, you look fabulous!" Sara hugged her.

"Thanks, so do you," she returned the compliment. "And you too Greggo. Come on, I'll show you where we're sitting."

"Hey guys!" Greg greeted as they came up to the table. Grissom had come with Catherine, Warrick was with Mia, Nick was with a trafficking officer named Whitney, who he had been seeing a few weeks.

"Wow, Sara," Nick stood up to hug her, and shake Greg's hand.

"Damn girl," Warrick grinned, also standing up.

"You like?" Sara put on a coy smile as she spun around for them.

"You look lovely Sara," Grissom complimented, fighting a laugh at the looks on Nick and Warrick's faces as they saw the backless dress and froze on their way to sit. "Sit down you two."

"Thanks," Sara said, to both Grissom for the compliment, and to Greg, who pulled out her chair for her.

"Anytime," Greg nodded, taking the seat next to her, and looked around. "Okay, what is up with the classical music? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's great and all, but it's not exactly danceable to unless you're from the seventeen century."

"Well, there's a tradition at these balls," Whitney launched into the explanation, having been the only one of them to ever attend before. "Some couple has to dance a waltz or something before any other music can be put on. Usually this isn't a problem because two narcotics cops, Michael and Ophelia Johnson, have been ballroom dancing partners as a hobby, so they've always done it. However, she's at the hospital on bed rest because she's pregnant with triplets and she's about seven months along."

"_I know how to waltz_," Greg spoke in Norwegian to Sara.

"_Really?_" she replied, also in Norwegian. It was fun to see the confused looks on their co-workers faces as they tried to figure out what they were saying.

"_Yeah. My mom made me learn cause of some of the events I had to attend as a kid. I always had to go dance with the single girls._"

"_My mom made me take ballroom dancing classes in the hope that it would make me more graceful_."

"_Would you care to dance then, so they can change this awful music?_" Greg held out a hand as he stood up.

"_It's been a while, but sure, _anything_ to change the music_," she patronized him with a laugh, taking his hand.

Everyone's eyes turned to the couple moving to the center of the floor. As a new piece of music started, Greg moved his right hand to Sara's back, just under her shoulder, and took her right hand in his left firmly. She placed her left hand on his upper arm, and after tensing their arms so they weren't limp, he pulled her into a traditional, opening, box step. Once they became more familiar with the beat, he began leading her through some turns and twinkles, all the while making sure they were rising up and down with the music. As the song ended, they executed one more turn, and Sara dropped a curtsy while Greg bowed at the waist slightly. The room burst into applause.

"We didn't do too badly," Sara commented, slipping her hand into Greg's offered arm.

"Not to bad! That was awesome for me! Considering I haven't danced in years like that," he protested as they neared the table.

"Man, I feel like I hardly know you two, you keeping busting out with the secrets," Nick shook his head. "First speaking Norwegian, and now ballroom dancing of all things. Anything else you want to let us in on?"

"Hmm," Sara placed a finger against her chin, pretending to decide. "Let's see, what to tell you…It's hard because there's just so many secrets you know."

"Ha ha very funny," Nick rolled her eyes at Sara's sarcasm.

"Thanks, I thought so too," Sara rolled her eyes right back.

"Well thanks, because now they're playing decent music," Warrick smiled as a jazzy song came on, and turned to ask Mia to dance.

And so the ball continued. The DJ played a variety of songs, from varying genres of music, as well as requests. Nick and Whitney, as well as Warrick and Mia, were up dancing for almost every song. Catherine spent most of the evening dancing and networking with important figures. Grissom danced to slower tunes, but spent most of his time talking with Brass and a few others. Greg and Sara remained at the table, talking, and listening to the music.

"Hmm…" Sara thought of another question to ask. They were playing 'Truth or Truth' which was just like 'Truth or Dare' but without dares. "What's your favourite color and why?"

"Yellow," he replied. "And probably because it's just such a happy color to me, and brings back fond memories. I remember when I was really little, my dad had this old yellow sweater that my mom knit for him as a Christmas present; it was their first Christmas together. Anyways, I can remember climbing on his lap late in the evening while he drank his cup of coffee and falling asleep to the sight of the fire crackling in the fireplace, his arm wrapped around me."

"I can see you doing that," Sara smiled at the mental image that brought. "What's your question for me?"

"Well, you're a girl, so I know you must have had one," he said. "An ideal wedding fantasy, if money were no object and you could do whatever you wanted."

"I never thought much about it," she replied honestly. "I always was too involved with my studies and school to really worry about dating much."

"Still, I know you had to have thought about it," he pressed on.

"Maybe once or twice," she gave a small smile as she reminisced. "When I was a teenager, I used to dream about it. I always pictured myself getting married in a rose garden at night, under a canopy of stars. I always imagined I'd be in this gorgeous, white dress, with a ridiculously long train. Surrounded by friends and family, with my prince charming at the end waiting for me. And then our first dance would be to some romantic song. I never really picked one, cause I always had so many favorites, but now I think it'd probably be 'I Swear' sung by John Michael Montgomery."

"Hey Sara," he said softly, reaching out and taking her hand in his.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry."

"What for?" She looked confused.

"For not being able to be prince charming and give you the wedding you dreamed of."

"Greg, it's fine," she was quick to assure him. "Besides, we couldn't exactly do all that with the time constraints we had. Really, all it ever was to me when I was a kid was a dream. I never thought it would come true. And I liked our wedding. It was small and intimate, and I don't think either of us would've really enjoyed a big fuss."

"Nah, I guess not," he laughed.

"Hey Sara, can I steal you for a dance?" Warrick came over.

"Sure, but where's Mia?" Sara wanted to know as she stood up.

"Hodges wanted a dance," Warrick grimaced, taking her hand and leading her onto the floor near Nick and Catherine who were dancing.

"Good evening Greg," Al Robbins greeted, sitting down next to Greg. His wife Celia was dancing with Grissom.

"Hey Doc," Greg replied absently, his attention focused on Sara.

"You know, contrary to popular belief, looks _can't_ kill," Robbins quipped. "And who's incurred your wrath?"

"I'm not angry, just a little jealous, and of Warrick."

"He's just dancing with Sara," Robbins looked at him curiously. "Not to tell you how to act, but you don't really have any right to be jealous."

"She's my wife, of course I have every right!" Greg snapped before he could stop himself.

"Wife?"

"Oh I shouldn't have said that," he moaned, and let his forehead drop onto the table.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Greg gave a resigned sigh. "We weren't planning on telling anybody for a while because we don't anyone to think it's affecting our work. We only got married a few days ago. We've been dating since July, and we got engaged at the beginning of November. We debated having a big wedding, but decided we'd rather just keep it quiet and amongst ourselves. So if you wouldn't mind not telling anyone, we're going to try and keep it under wraps a while longer. We're enjoying our little secret."

"Of course," Robbins smiled. "I remember what it's like to be young and in love. And knowing that you are the only two who know about it. Congratulations."

"Thanks Doc," Greg smiled back, and gave a sigh of relief as he walked away. Their secret was still safe. Feeling very happy about that fact, he stood up and made his way to the DJ booth to request a particular song. The DJ promised to play it next, and as the song finished up, Greg made his way onto the floor as his request started. 'I Swear' by John Michael Montgomery.

"Dance with me?" He wrapped his arms around Sara from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I would love to," she smiled, leaning back into him for a moment before thanking Warrick.

"You said you thought this would be a good first dance song," he said quietly as she turned around. He took her right hand in his left and let them rest against his heart. Her left hand rested on his upper arm as his other hand rested on her back and pulled her close to him. She leaned her head against his shoulder, and he rested his head against hers, breathing in the scent of her perfume.

"And you remembered," she smiled against him as they swayed back and forth to the music.

"Of course, you're my wife," he said by way of explanation. "Oh and by the way, Doc Robbins knows."

"How?" she pulled her head up and looked him in the eyes. Not angry, just curious.

"I was watching you and Warrick and got jealous, and when he said I didn't really have a right to be, I blurted out that you were my wife so of course I did," he gave her a sheepish grin as he leaned his head down to better hear her.

"In a macho, cave-man kind of way, that's very sweet," she laughed, leaning her head forward so their heads rested against each other.

"Don't worry, he said he won't tell," Greg explained. "I also told him that we got married a few days ago, and that we've been dating since July, and got engaged at the beginning of November."

"Okay, I think I can remember that. You know, maybe when we get home we should talk some more. Finalize the details of our relationship and all. Like what type of dates we went on, and most importantly how you proposed to me. Because once everyone does find out, you know the first thing Catherine's going to ask is how you proposed, and what you said, and where we were."

"Yeah, that's Catherine for you," he laughed. "I'm glad I don't have to deal with that."

Back at the table, the others had regrouped, and were watching Greg and Sara. Catherine was growing more suspicious about the two of them, and wondering if there wasn't something going on, even though they denied dating. And while at Greg's house, she had picked up on several things; she wasn't a CSI for nothing. First, Sara had known where everything was in the kitchen, and moved around with ease. You don't learn where things are in someone else's house in only a couple of days, at least not that familiarly. Secondly, in the living room, she saw several books and magazines that she knew Greg wouldn't subscribe too, such as some women's clothing magazines. Something was definitely going on between those two, and she was determined to find out, sooner or later, no matter what.

"You know, I'm _really_ beginning to wonder if they aren't lying about being involved," Warrick voiced her thoughts.

"Yeah," Nick agreed. "I mean, c'mon, just looking at them makes it seem obvious."

"If they say they're just friends, then we should believe them," Grissom put his two cents in.

"Really Gil, just look at them! Would you and a 'friend' dance like that?" Catherine turned to look at him.

"No," he sighed, knowing that she was right. "However, regardless of whether or not something is going on between them, we need to respect the fact they want to keep it private. And I don't want anyone bothering them. They'll tell us when they're ready, _if_ something is going on at all."

"But Gil…" Catherine pouted, wanting to question the couple who was now heading back to the table.

"No buts, and that goes for all of you," he looked around the table at each of them before putting a smile on as Greg and Sara came over and took a seat.

"Hey, why's everyone so quiet?" Sara raised an eyebrow as she looked around.

"No reason, we were just watching you two dance," Catherine said nonchalantly, and Grissom shot her a look.

"Okay," Sara said slowly as she watched their silent exchange. "So is there anything else planned for the evening?"

"In a little while the Mayor will give some speeches, thank us for our un-failing efforts, then there'll be more dancing until the end of the ball," Catherine rattled off, having spoken with Ecklie earlier.

"Fun," Greg said dryly, not being fond of speeches in the slightest.

Greg's feelings that speeches were boring proved to be very true as the night wore on. The mayor got up about a half hour later and droned on for a little over an hour. Nothing of which he said was interesting in the slightest, and the CSI's all found themselves wishing they could leave. Finally though, the droning ended, and the DJ began the music again.

"Well that was a complete waste of time," Nick said with a yawn.

"Yeah. I'd much rather be at home," Warrick agreed.

"Hey, why don't we just leave now?" Greg suggested. "We can crash at my place, order some take-out, and watch a movie."

"We're in," Catherine spoke up for herself and Grissom.

"Count me in," Warrick said, and Mia nodded.

"Us too," Nick agreed after Whitney nodded.

"Cool," Greg smiled, standing up.

"All right, we'll meet you at your place in a while then?" Grissom asked Greg as they all stood up.

"Sure, unless you all just want to catch a ride back with us," he suggested, knowing there weren't enough spaces for all their cars. "Parking will be easier that way."

"I don't think we all want to squeeze into your tahoe Greg," Nick looked at him as they left the ballroom.

"Then I guess it's a good thing we didn't take a tahoe, isn't it Nicky?" Sara smiled at him as Greg motioned to the limo driver who was talking with some others just inside the vestibule.

"What'd you take?" He looked at her curiously as they moved outside.

"You'll see," was all she said, giving a shiver in the cool night air.

"Here," Greg quickly shrugged off his tuxedo jacket and slid it over her shoulders. "Oh, here's our ride."

"A limo, whoa," Warrick looked impressed. "And a Lincoln town car stretch at that."

"My mom arranged it," Greg said in reply to the unasked question about why he had a limo.

"Sirs and Madams," the driver nodded, coming around and opening the door for them.

So they headed back to Greg and Sara's townhouse, stopping at a Chinese place to pick up some food, and Blockbuster to rent a couple of movies. There was much debate about what to pick, but they finally settled on 'A Beautiful Mind' and 'Shall We Dance?' on behalf of the girls. Arriving at Greg's, Sara offered the girls sweats and t-shirts to change into, and Greg did the same. The girls all burst out laughing when they saw the guys, especially Grissom. Greg's sweats were typical grey and black, but his t-shirts were all brightly colored, with crazy logos on them. Grabbing some forks, they popped in 'A Beautiful Mind' and sat around on the couch, chairs, and floor in the basement rec-room. Not too long after they finished eating though, they all eventually drifted off to sleep. The long day combined with full bellies and content minds, made for perfect sleeping conditions, and so they did.

A/N: Okay, next chapter will be up on Sunday like usual. Sorry this one's a day late, but we had our power go out yesterday, and I didn't have my laptop battery charged, so I couldn't go on the internet. Thanks for not being too mad :-) Hope you all liked it. I thought it was kinda fun, but hey, that's just me. Anyways, review if it makes you happy, but I just hope you enjoyed it regardless!


	7. Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: It's not mine, blah, blah, blah!

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews! I know sometimes maybe it doesn't seem like I appreciate them, but I do, probably more than you'll ever know. And I'm sorry this chapter is shorter than usual, and posted a day late, but I had several school papers that I had to do. My school work takes precedence over this story, as I firmly believe education is one of the most important things. Next chapter will be up Sunday as usual. So without further ado, the next chapter!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Seven

Sara opened her eyes, only to shut them back closed right away. This was due to the beam of sunlight streaming in between the curtains, blinding her. Holding back a groan of annoyance, she shielded her eyes with a hand before slowly opening them and looking around. She had to fight back a laugh as she saw where everyone had finally fallen asleep. Nick had gone to sleep in the recliner chair, and Whitney was lying squished against him. Grissom and Catherine had both fallen asleep on the couch, heads at opposite ends, using the armrests as pillows. Warrick was leaning back against the couch, and Mia was lying next to him, using his thigh as a pillow. Sara had been curled up in the other recliner, with Greg sprawled on his stomach on the floor in front of her.

Getting up carefully and quietly so as not to disturb anyone. Walking over to the stairs, she had to fight back another laugh. The sight of Grissom wearing a neon green shirt with some equally bright logo on it was amusing. No one had ever seen him in anything other than his typical work attire, or a suit or tux if the occasion required it. And the sweats, while rather big on Greg, were almost snug on Grissom, and made for a comical sight.

Tip-toeing upstairs to her room, she glanced at the clock and realised it was five in the morning. Holding back a groan at the early hour, she stripped and hopped in the shower quickly to rinse off and get all the hairspray out of her hair. Toweling off, she pulled on a pair of jean shorts and a brown tank-top, and slipped her feet into a pair of flip-flops. As she walked towards Greg's, she drew her hair up into a pony-tail. Taking the leash off the doorknob, she opened Greg's bedroom door letting Duke out, and clipped the leash onto his collar. She took him out front to do his business before bringing him back in and letting him into the living room where his bed was, putting a gate up in the doorway to keep him from bothering her as she made breakfast.

Heading into the kitchen, she began pulling out various ingredients and cookware. Smiling slightly at the few fond memories from her childhood, she began combining ingredients for the famous Sidle Inn, Apple Pecan pancakes. The recipe had been in her family for _ages_, handed down from mother to daughter. Sara hoped that someday she'd be able to carry on the tradition with her own daughter. At that thought, an image of her and Greg looking at a baby girl in a crib, flashed through her mind.

Shaking her head, she continued mixing the ingredients and turned on the stove-top and the oven before spooning out batter onto the griddle. As each pancake finished cooking, she piled them onto the large plate in the oven to keep them warm. After finishing up the pancakes about fifteen minutes later, with a total of about three dozen, large, pancakes, she moved on to mixing up some waffle batter, knowing everyone might not like apple pecan pancakes. Sticking another large platter in the oven to set the waffles on as they finished, she pulled out some bacon and sausage with a grimace, preparing to cook it up, knowing everyone else would appreciate it.

"Hey," Greg's sleepy voice came from behind her.

"Good morning."

"What time is it?" He gave a yawn.

"Almost seven."

"Oh. What'cha doing?"

"You're in a lovable mood," she smiled as he gave her a hug from behind, resting his head on her shoulder. "I'm making breakfast, and you're just in time."

"For what?" He turned his head and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"For cooking the bacon and sausage here while I run down to the store and pick up a couple dozen more eggs. We don't have any, and I wanted to make scrambled eggs to go with everything else. Not to mention I need to pick up some more butter and maple syrup."

"Okay," Greg rubbed his eyes before heading to the sink and washing his hands in preparation for cooking. About twenty minutes later, Greg was finishing cooking the last of the bacon, and Sara entered bearing several dozen eggs.

"I'll set the table?" Greg questioned as she began expertly cracking the eggs, one in each hand.

"That'd be great," she nodded. "And don't forget to put on some coffee after you do. The eggs'll be ready by the time that's done."

"You know, I like this side of you," Greg mused aloud as he began putting plates down.

"What?"

"The whole domestic wife look," Greg gave her a wide grin to show he didn't mean any offense. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Kjære, I grew up in a bed and breakfast, of course I learned how to cook," she stated. "I just don't do it that much. Carry-out's cheaper and less time consuming."

"True," he agreed as he began setting out the silverware.

A few minutes later, the eggs were done and in a large casserole dish on the table. Sara pulled out the plates of pancakes and waffles and set them on the table, along with the butter and syrup. She also set out a bowl of sliced strawberries and a tub of coolwhip as additional waffle toppings. Greg turned on the coffee maker, and gave a satisfied grin as it began perking noisily. He and Sara began setting the coffee mugs out on the counter, along with cream and sugar for those who wanted it. Just as the coffee finished perking, they heard a thud and cursing from below.

"What happened?" Sara asked after she and Greg rushed back downstairs.

"I fell off the chair," Nick gave a sheepish grin as he rubbed his elbow. "And I hit my funny bone."

"Only you man," Warrick laughed, stretching his arms above his head before climbing to his feet.

"I need caffeine," Catherine mumbled, running a hand through her hair.

"Well your prayers have been answered," Greg bowed dramatically. "The lovely Miss Sara here has made breakfast, or most of it. I made the bacon and sausage."

"You're my hero Sara," Mia grinned, taking Warrick's hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"I know," Sara gave a laugh before they headed upstairs.

"Wow Sara, this looks delicious!" Whitney exclaimed, taking a seat after pouring herself a cup of coffee. "What all did you make, and when did you do it all?"

"There's apple pecan pancakes and they're an old family recipe," she stated. "There's also waffles, scrambled eggs, and bacon and sausage. Topping wise, there's butter, maple syrup, strawberries, whip cream, and some cheese for the eggs. Not to mention the coffee, as well as some juice and milk in the fridge if you'd rather that."

"And Sara grew up in a B&B, so that's where she learned to do this so quickly," Greg answered the second part as he pulled out a chair for her to sit down in. "I woke up a little before seven and she already had the pancakes and waffles done."

"Well let's eat, cause I'm famished!" Catherine grinned, and they all began helping themselves to the food.

It was quiet for a while as everyone dug in and began eating. However, Warrick, Nick, and Greg soon began talking about some video game in between bites. As Sara took a bite of syrup covered pancakes, she listened a bit, watching their animated discussion in amusement. It was interrupted a moment later by Greg's startled yelp.

"Ow!"

"What?" Grissom looked over in concern.

"Belladonna just used my leg as a scratching post," Greg complained, reaching down.

"Who's Belladonna?" Mia questioned.

"This," Greg said, holding up Belladonna carefully. "Is Belladonna, Sara's cat."

"I didn't know you had a cat Sara," Warrick looked over at her.

"You never asked, but yeah, that's my baby," she gave a little laugh at her cat's antics.

Greg had set Belladonna back down on the ground, but she quickly leapt up into Nick's lap, to his surprise. Sitting herself primly on his lap, she looked out over the table. Every now and then though, she would reach a paw up and swipe at the cool whip on Nick's waffles, before daintily licking her paw clean and repeating the process.

"I guess she likes you," Sara laughed.

"Or rather, she like the cool whip," Nick joined in the laughter.

"If she's too bothersome, just set her on the ground and scoot your chair in."

"Nah, looks like she's about to move," Nick replied as the cat hopped off his lap and under the table.

"Looks like I'm her victim again," Greg leaned down and picked up the cat once more, this time draping Belladonna around his neck.

He kept his head bent forward so she could stretch out along his shoulders, which she did with an audible purr. Everyone laughed, and went back to eating and chatting, however Sara didn't join in. She was watching Greg slowly and gently reach up and scratch the cat around the neck, careful not to disturb her. It was while she was watching that tender moment between Greg and her cat that she came to a startling realization.

She was falling in love with her husband.

The irony of that statement almost made her laugh out loud. Most people started as friends, dated, fell in love, got engaged, and finally got married. Sure she and Greg had been friends. However, they got engaged and married within an hour. And now, completely out of step once again with the normal progression of things, she found herself starting to fall for him. She didn't know why she was so surprised by that fact though. After all, she had always thought Greg was cute, in a quirky, boy-next-door, kind of way. And she was definitely attracted to him sexually, if their kisses proved anything. Not to mention he could always cheer her up no matter how upset she was. He listened when she wanted to talk, but was content to just hug her when she needed that silent understanding.

Yup, she was definitely falling in love with Gregers Hojem Sanders. And hopefully, he was falling back in love with her.

"SARA!" Nick's voice broke through her thoughts.

"What?" Sara shook her head to clear her mind before looking up at everyone's concerned faces.

"You okay vennen min?" Greg looked at her. "You were on another planet."

"I never left the room," she laughed. "But yeah, I'm fine kjære, just thinking about something."

"Okay, well, we were thinking about doing something after we help clean up here, and then go home and get changed, that sound good?" Nick asked.

"Sure, what are we going to do?" She asked.

"That's the problem, we can't figure out what we feel like doing," Mia shrugged.

"How about lunch and mini-golfing?" Sara suggested after thinking a minute. "Then we can go grab some pizza before or after we play. And of course you can bring Lindsey along, Cath."

"Sounds great to me," Catherine nodded, and everyone else voiced their consent as they stood up and began helping to clear the table.

"Hey, can we invite the techies!" Greg bounced up and down. "Archie and Jacqui, and Bobby, and David, although he's not a techie, but he's cool?"

"Normally I'd say yes, but they're probably asleep since they had to work last night for swing shift," Catherine pointed out.

"Oh damn, I forgot about that," Greg pouted, stopping his bouncing.

"But we'll do something another time with them," Mia assured him.

"Okie dokie," Greg clapped his hands.

After cleaning up the table and getting the leftover food put away, everyone grabbed their clothes from the night before. Sara gave everyone a ride back to the Venetian to pick up their cars, before heading back home. It was kinda funny she thought, how quickly the townhouse had come to feel like home to her. The whole situation felt so…_right_…she almost felt guilty. As a kid, she had been much more of a romantic, until the situation with her parents that is. She was usually pretty serious, and devoted to school work of course, but like any girl, she entertained the occasional fantasy. She liked to pretend she was like the heroine in the novels she read; strong, brave, independent, but still able to fall in love. As she grew older, she always joked with her friends that she'd never settle down because she'd never find a man who'd be able to handle her. A man who would understand her stubbornness, her bitchiness at times, her independence, but most of all, her desires to be cherished, appreciated, and loved, just like any other woman. And that brings us back to why she felt guilty. With Greg, she realised, she was finding all this. And she didn't want to let it go.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Next chapter will have the mini-golfing and pizza, and someone finds out about them. Guess who? First person to guess correctly will get a prize! So review!


	8. Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: It's not mine, I just mess with their lives.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! There were lots of good guesses, but the person who finds out about them is Lindsey! So congrats to **x-sara-x** for being the first to guess correcty! E-mail me, or leave a review with your e-mail so I can let you know what your prize is! Also, a round of applause to **Ravynsword, Unlikely-to-bear-it, arkiecsi, MyBella131, **and **hola girl 14** who also guessed correctly. Oh, and just to clarify, Catherine and Grissom are not dating. Now onto the story!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Eight

"Hello?" Sara answered her cell phone.

"Hey, it's Catherine."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Not much. Listen, since your place is on the way to the Circus Circus Adventuredome, you want to carpool?" Catherine suggested.

"Sure," Sara agreed.

"All right, we'll be there in a few minutes."

"See ya then."

Thirteen year old Lindsey clapped her hands excitedly, the sound reverberating through the car. Since they were picking up Sara and Greg, she'd get to see their dog. And the cat too, hopefully. After hearing her mom's funny story about what the cat did at breakfast, Lindsey wanted to see Belladonna. Everyone had agreed to meet at ten o'clock at the Circus Circus Adventuredome; home to the largest indoor rollercoaster, mini-golfing, laser tag, food, and games. It was a must-see for tourists, and usually pretty crowded. However, it was the off season, and a Sunday, so it would be decidedly less crowded. Arriving at the townhouse, Catherine stayed in the car while Lindsey ran up to get them.

"Hi Miss Sidle," she said politely after Sara answered the door.

"C'mon in Lindsey," Sara opened the door. "Greg's finishing getting ready. And call me Sara."

"Okay," she smiled, stepping in. "Sara?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I see your dog and cat?"

"Sure, the dog's in the living room there," Sara pointed. "And Belladonna will show up soon after hearing our voices. I'm going to go upstairs and get my sneakers on, so I'll be back in a minute, all right?"

"All right," Lindsey gave her another smile before opening the gate and stepping into the living room.

She held back a squeal as she went over to the dog who was sleeping on the dog's bed. Kneeling down, she began petting the dog who gave a content growl as he turned on his back, allowing Lindsey to scratch the soft belly. A sound behind her made her turn her head, and she saw the cat standing on a desk over against the wall. Getting up, she walked over slowly so as not to scare the cat, and began petting her gently. A minute later though, a sound outside caused Belladonna to jump down and run out of the room. When she jumped down, she knocked a couple of papers off the desk. Lindsey reached down to pick them up and put them back on the desk. As she did so, one particular one caught her eye.

"This looks like the one in the photo album, from Mom and Dad's wedding," Lindsey muttered to herself. "This is to certify that the undersigned did on the 14th of November at Las Vegas Presbyterian Church, of Las Vegas Nevada, join in lawful wedlock Gregers Hojem Sanders of Las Vegas, Nevada, and Sara Marie Sidle of Las Vegas, Nevada with their mutual consent, in the presence of Lillian Fanning."

"Lindsey, you ready…" Greg's voice trailed off as he and Sara saw what she was holding in her hands.

"YOU TWO GOT MARRIED?" Her voice was full of shock as she waved around the certificate. "Does my mom know about you two Mr. Sanders?"

"Why are you so formal with everyone's name?" Greg questioned randomly. "Can't you just call me Uncle Greg or something?"

"Because mom tells me to, but okay! Fine! I'll call you Uncle Greg, Aunt Sara," Lindsey said pointedly. "Does anyone know?"

"No, and you can't tell them," Sara looked at her.

"You know, telling me I _can't_, just makes me want to even more," Lindsey rolled her eyes. "And why not?"

"Because we'd like to tell them on our own," Sara explained. "We want to prove that our relationship won't have any effect on our work."

"How about I give you fifty bucks to keep quiet?" Greg reached into his back pocket for his wallet. "And we're going to be telling them in a couple of weeks anyways."

"Okay," Lindsey grinned, taking the money from Greg.

"Greg! You can't bribe her," Sara admonished, but she was smiling.

"I just did," he laughed, and Lindsey giggled.

"One of the many reasons I love you," Sara shook her head in disbelief that he had just paid off a thirteen year old.

"And I love you too," he said back in a lilting voice, thinking she was teasing.

"Gross," Lindsey said, making a face. "Hey Uncle Greg, Aunt Sara, we'd better go before my mom gets suspicious. And next time, you two should put this somewhere else, away from prying eyes."

"Will do kiddo," Greg replied, and with an exaggerated bow, pulled open the door to let the two girls precede him out.

"It's about time you three," said Catherine with a hint of exasperation in her voice. "I was about to come in and drag you out."

"It's all Uncle Greg's fault," Lindsey lied smoothly. "He took _forever_ to do his hair."

"Uncle Greg, hmm?" Catherine raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Greg and Sara in the rearview mirror.

"Yup. They said I could, cause Mr. Sanders and Miss Sidle are too formal."

"Well, as long as they said it's all right," Catherine once again looked in the mirror for confirmation.

"It's fine Cath," Sara nodded, giving a reassuring smile.

They pulled up at the Circus Circus Adventuredome a few minutes later, and piled out of the car into the bright sunlight. Walking inside, they took a few minutes to have their eyes adjust to the seemingly-dim, harsh fluorescent indoor lighting.

"Hey guys!" Nick's voice reached them. They were the last to arrive.

"Hey Nicky," Catherine called back as they walked towards the group.

"Grissom!" Lindsey ran over and hugged the man who had been somewhat of a father figure in her life.

"Hey Linds," he replied, returning the hug.

"Hello Mr. Brown, Mr. Stokes," Lindsey said politely. She didn't know them well enough to feel comfortable calling them by their names. Not to mention the fact that her mom would yell at her if she called them anything else without them giving her permission to.

"Hey girl," Warrick gave her a smile. "This is Mia Dickerson, she's our new lab rat."

"Very funny Warrick," she smacked him upside the head. "Nice to meet you Lindsey."

"And this is my girlfriend Whitney Jenkins," Nick introduced Whitney who gave a wave.

"Nice to meet you Miss Dickerson, Miss Jenkins," Lindsey gave them both a smile.

"So, who's up for a game of mini-golf?" Sara glanced around. "Unless someone wants to do something else instead?"

"Mini-golf!" Lindsey and Greg cheered at the same time.

"I guess that settles that," Grissom said with a laugh.

"I'll race you over Uncle Greg," Lindsey said, and made a dash for the course without waiting.

"No fair, you had a head start!" He called, chasing after her.

"Since when is he Uncle Greg?" Warrick said, laughing at the two 'kids' of the group.

"Since Greg told her that Mr. Sanders and Miss Sidle are too formal," Sara explained as they began walking over to join the two. "So he suggested Uncle Greg and Aunt Sara."

"Cool," Nick smiled as he went to the window to pay for himself and Whitney.

"I already paid for us," Greg stopped Sara when she went to join the line.

"You didn't have to do that," she protested, but smiled at the chivalrous display.

"I know, but I wanted to," he said before lowering his voice and whispering. "Besides, what kind of husband would I be if I didn't?"

Sara laughed lightly and gave him a hug before moving to pick out a club and a ball along with everyone else. As they moved onto the course and began taking their turns at the different holes, Greg found himself doing rather poorly as he was distracted by Sara. Now he knew he acted like it at times, but he wasn't crazy, so he knew he wasn't imagining things. Like Sara being more flirty with him than usual, and touching him more; whether it was just a hug, or a kiss, or a touch on the shoulder.

Ever since she had come to work at the LVPD, he had had a crush on her. However, he thought she was out of his league, not to mention her crush on Grissom at the time. But like any guy who's in-like with a girl, he asked her out. She had said no of course, but he had only liked her even more because of it; after all, he always had liked to chase after girls who loved playing hard-to-get. Made the catch all the more sweeter. And with the seemingly horrible situation his mom had caused, he had to be honest with himself and say he was _extremely_ glad he had opened-his-mouth, inserted-his-foot and said he was marrying Sara. Even in the short time that they had spent together, as husband and wife, he couldn't help but let go of his emotions and let himself fall in love with her. Although when he thought about it, it wasn't that short of a time. If he was being _really_ honest with himself, he had been falling for the past couple of years. Their marriage only served as a catalyst for everything he was feeling for her to come to a head.

"You know, I think Nicky has got to be one of the slowest mini-golfers I've ever seen," Sara sat down next to him on the bench while they waited for their turn at the last hole; they were last in the group.

"He's from Texas, everyone moves slower in the south," he replied with a grin, throwing an arm around her shoulders.

"True," she agreed, leaning into the embrace, not really caring if anyone saw.

"Hey you two, it's your turn Sara," Mia called, disrupting their little moment.

"All right, hole in one baby!" Sara high-fived Greg after she hit the ball.

"Damn," Greg wrinkled his nose after taking three tries to get it in. "How are you so good at this game that you get one or two par for every hole?"

"I _did_ major in physics in school kjære," she reminded him, linking her arm through his as they returned the clubs. "One project I had to do involved mini-golf courses; calculating angles, friction, speed, velocity, all that good stuff."

"Geez, take the fun out of the game by making it scientific, why don't ya?" He rolled his eyes as they joined everyone back outside of the course.

"So what now?" Whitney looked around them.

"I want to ride the roller coaster Mom, can I, please?" Lindsey turned to her mom.

"I don't know Linds, we're going to be getting pizza soon," Catherine frowned slightly.

"Hey, why don't you guys go to the food court and order the pizza," Greg suggested. "And by the time Sara and I get back from taking Lindsey, it'll be ready for us to eat?"

"Please mom, let Uncle Greg and Aunt Sara take me?"

"All right," Catherine agreed, and then began rifling through her purse for some cash for the ticket.

"I've got it Cath," Greg said, and before she could protest, he had already hoisted Lindsey on his back for a piggy-back ride, and was headed towards the coaster, a laughing Sara in tow.

Greg quickly bought two tickets for Lindsey, so she could ride it twice. As she climbed into a seat and was buckled in, she gave Greg and Sara a wave. They were standing over near the exit ramp so they could meet her once she got off.

"I always wanted to have a big family," Greg said wistfully, watching as the coaster took off, full of happily screaming people, predominantly children.

"Really?" Sara turned to look at him.

"Yup. I always thought it'd be cool to have an older brother to teach me stuff, a younger brother to look up to me, and a younger sister to watch out for. I got the sister, but no brothers."

"I always wanted more siblings too," Sara lifted his arm off the rail and settled herself against him, letting his arm fall to where it rested around her back. "I love my brother of course, but I'll always remember how much happier I was when I was in those large foster families. There was always laughter in the house, and someone to talk to."

"I want to have a lot of kids someday, so they'll always have playmates," Greg said, looking at her out of the corner of his eye. It was the first time he had ever hinted, even so indirectly as this, that he had entertained the idea of their marriage lasting, and not just being a couple months long sham.

"Me too," she said, leaning in closer to him, taking her left arm off of the rail and wrapping it around to rest on Greg's waist.

"Someone might see us," he commented, but only held her tighter, and did nothing to try and move away.

"I don't think I really care," she replied. "I meant what I said earlier, back at the house."

"What?" Greg questioned, not remembering.

"UNCLE GREG, AUNT SARA!" Lindsey shouted, effectively interrupting Sara from answering. "COME RIDE WITH ME, PLEASE!"

"Who are we to deny her royal highness?" Greg laughed, pulling away from Sara reluctantly. "Shall we?"

"Sure," Sara smiled, hiding her disappointment at having to lose contact with him. Greg quickly went and bought two tickets and they climbed on the coaster, a few rows behind Lindsey.

"So what was it that you were talking about earlier?" Greg asked as the coaster began its ascent up a long hill.

"Back at the house, I know I was acting like I was teasing, but I meant it," Sara paused, blushing slightly. "That I love you."

"I LOVE YOU TOO!" Greg yelled after a moment's shock, making sure he could be heard over the screams as they began flying down the hill.

As soon as the coaster came to a stop and the seats released, he hopped out, then helped her out. The moment her feet were on the ground, he promptly pulled her to him in a searing kiss. Lindsey came up and immediately made a face, however, they took no notice.

"I love you," he whispered, resting his forehead against hers as he wrapped his arms around her tighter.

"I love you too," she whispered back, not able to stop the smile that spread across her face.

"God, that's so amazing to hear," he threw his head back in a laugh. "You have _no_ idea how long I've dreamed of hearing you say that. Say it again."

"I love you," she repeated, also laughing. "And trust me, it sounds just as amazing to hear it from you."

"Then I'll happily say it a million times more. I love you, I love you, I love you!"

"You know, this is really touching, but I would like to be able to eat my lunch!" Lindsey interrupted them, hands on her hips. "So can you stop with the mushy stuff?"

"Sure thing Lindsey, sorry," Greg let go of Sara as he apologised, although he wasn't really sorry at all.

"Well it looks like you had fun sweetie," Catherine hugged her daughter as the three finally joined them.

"Yup, and Aunt Sara and Uncle Greg rode the second time with me, although they were a couple of seat behind me," Lindsey plopped down in her seat.

"So what'd you end up ordering?" Greg asked.

"We got three larges, one half cheese, half veggie for Sara and Lindsey, one supreme, and one pepperoni," Nick explained, just before two waitresses came over and set the pizzas down on the table.

"Good, I'm hungry," Sara said, immediately grabbing a piece off the tray.

"Yeah well, beating everyone in mini-golf then screaming your lungs out on the rollercoaster will do that to you," Whitney laughed.

"Not to mention making out with your husband," Lindsey muttered under her breath to Sara, who immediately blushed.

"Hey, no telling secrets," Warrick said with a laugh. "But tell us, since I want to know how you made Miss unflappable their blush."

"Just girl talk Mr. Brown," Lindsey replied with a smile.

"Hey, since you call Greg and Sara Aunt and Uncle, why don't you just go ahead and call me Uncle Warrick," Warrick suggested.

"Yeah, same here," Nick jumped in. "I've got enough nieces and nephews it's nothing new to me."

"I guess that makes me Uncle Gil," Grissom added.

"And you can call me Mia," Mia suggested.

"And me Whitney," Whitney also spoke up.

"Okay," Lindsey smiled, after getting approval from her mom.

"You know, this now means we've now got an even larger dysfunctional family?" Greg whispered conspiratorially to Sara.

"Don't remind me, cause it means that I'm pseudo-related to Grissom, and the fact that I had a crush on him is pseudo-incest," Sara gave a mock groan of disgust.

"Hey, what'd we say about secrets?" Nick looked down at the two who were whispering.

"Oh, we were just talking about how we're now part of a large dysfunctional family," Greg gave a laugh.

"Aw man, you're right," Nick pretended to look sick. "I don't want to be related to you!"

"Children, settle down, no fighting," Catherine chided them. "And eat your pizza, or no ice cream for you later."

"Yes mother!" Nick and Greg chimed simultaneously, causing everyone to laugh.

Finishing up the pizza, everyone chipped in to pay the bill. Stretching for a moment, they walked around till they came to the carnival style games. Immediately, all the guys but Grissom pulled out their wallets and went to the nearest booth; knock the milk-bottles down. The guys lined up and took their turns at trying to knock the three bottle tower over, but Warrick was the only one who succeeded. His prize was a peculiar looking, neon-purple cat.

"For my lovely lab rat," he said with a flourish, handing it over to Mia.

"Oh thank you, I'm _so_ honored," she said sarcastically, but then gave him a smile and a quick hug.

The other guys made quick work of spreading out to different games and attempting to win prizes. Nick was the next to successfully win a prize at the water pistol shooting game, and he promptly handed over the pink and white panda bear to Whitney. Grissom didn't participate in the games, but he did buy Catherine a funnel cake, and Lindsey some cotton candy, and stood by watching the 'boys' have fun. Greg tried his luck at the booth where you throw ping-pong balls into goldfish bowls, and depending on which one it lands in, you get a prize. He bought six balls, and took his time throwing them, making sure Sara kissed each one for luck, much to everyone's amusement. However, something must have worked, because he ended up with six large prize tokens, and three large tokens equaled one grand prize. So he picked a giant teddy bear with a big blue bow, and an almost life-like sized Dalmatian dog.

"For the beautiful Miss Willows," Greg said with a flourish, handing the teddy bear to Lindsey.

"Thanks Uncle Greg!" she said throwing her arms around his neck, giving him a slightly sticky kiss on the cheek.

"Anything for my leading lady," he replied with a wink, kissing her hand. "And for the beautiful Miss Sidle."

"Thanks Greg," she laughed, taking it from him.

"What, you're not going to thank me like Lindsey did?" He put on a pout, pointing to his cheek.

"Playboy," she rolled her eyes, but gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Woo hoo!" He cheered, dancing around as everyone laughed. "I got kissed by Sara!"

"Not to spoil your fun Greg," Grissom interrupted. "But it's one o'clock, and we do have to work tonight."

"Aww man," Nick wrinkled his nose in annoyance. "I forgot about that."

"Yeah, we should probably head home, catch some Zz's" Warrick agreed.

Everyone said their good-byes, exchanging hugs and see-ya later's before leaving. Catherine, Lindsey, Sara, and Greg all climbed into the tahoe and headed back to Greg's townhouse. Catherine waved good-bye as they got out, before heading to her house. Sara and Greg let themselves in, and took Duke for a short walk around the block to let him do his business. Back in the house, they changed into their pajamas before climbing into Greg's bed, the dog at their feet, along with the cat.

"You know, I think you need to move some of your stuff in here," Greg said sleepily as he pulled her to him.

"And why's that?"

"Because I love you and don't plan on letting you spend another night away from me," he said with a smile, right before kissing her tenderly.

"Good, because I love you too, and I like the sound of that," she smiled back, her eyes fluttering closed.

Greg gave her another kiss, before he too settled himself, and allowed sleep to claim him.

A/N: Okay, that's it for this chapter. So…what'd ya think? I'm desperately seeking approval for their exchanging "I love you's" and all. Do you think I moved too fast? To me, Greg's always had a thing for her, and Sara seems like one who feels deeply, not to mention they've been friends for a while. And what'd you think of the rollercoaster? I thought that'd be cute- kinda quirky like Greg is. And I hope Lindsey doesn't seem to OOC. To me, she's a 13 year old girl who's still very much a child. And I think Catherine is the type to make Lindsey call everyone Mr. Sanders, Miss Sidle, etc., as a sign of respect and all. Anyways, please let me know what you think if you've got time to review! Next chapter'll be up Sunday as usual, maybe a day or two early, but no promises.


	9. Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: It's not mine, I just enjoy messing with their lives!

A/N: Okay peoples, here ya go, lots of fun romanctic parts going on, cause the way I see it, now that Greg realizes Sara loves him too, he can _show_ her that he loves her. Not to mention that I like writing romance, so I'm stepping it up a notch. Now without further ado, enjoy the new chappie!

A Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Nine

Sara woke up a few minutes before the alarm was set to go off, and found she couldn't move. Yawning, she blinked her eyes a couple of times to clear some of the sleep from them, and found herself looking into Greg's light brown, flecked with gold specks, eyes.

"Hey," she greeted, almost shyly. She had woken up next to a man before, but not one she was in love with, and the feeling she got was unbelievable.

"Hey."

"Were you watching me sleep?" she asked, and couldn't resist smiling when he nodded.

"Couldn't help it," he said, a faint blush rising over his cheeks. "You know, we need to tell everyone soon, cause being the intelligent investigators they are, they won't miss the fact that I can't take my eyes off of you."

"You're such a charmer kjære," Sara laughed, leaning in to give him a kiss, though she stopped before she actually did. "Oops, morning breath, sorry."

"I don't care," he murmured, playfully nipping at her neck.

"Oooh, that tickles," she gave a very un-Sara like giggle.

He smiled against her skin as he trailed his lips along her neck, placing feather light kisses along the smooth skin. He continued up her neck, around her ear, taking a moment to whisper, "I love you," making her shiver slightly. He moved on to place kisses along her jaw, before finally settling his lips on hers. The kisses were soft and quick, full of love and tenderness, teasing and testing, and he could already feel his restraint slipping away.

"Greg," Sara breathed, almost moaning. It was pure heaven to kiss him, even if he was being incredibly evil by teasing her and making her want him to an almost boiling point, but they had work.

"Hmm?" He moved down, dampening the skin along her collarbone with his fervent kisses.

Before she could respond though, his arms were around her, and in one swift move he had pulled her on top of him. He laughed against her shoulder at her gasp of surprise before fully claiming her lips with his. Her arms immediately came up to gather him closer. Funny, she thought to herself, how breathless his kisses could make her is such a short time. Usually it took several minutes of hard kissing to make her feel this way. There was just something about the texture of his lips, his warmth, the feel of his strong, lean body molded against hers, and above all, the skill he had using those lips. His left hand moved under her shirt, slowly running up and down her bare back in a slow and steady caress. Combined with the fierce kisses they were sharing, her senses were almost on overload. So it was with a huge amount of willpower that she pulled back once again.

"Greg, love," she panted slightly. "We really have to think about work, and I have to shower."

"Can I join you?" he smirked, his voice slightly husky as he let his head fall back against the pillow to better look her in the eyes.

"As much fun as I'm sure that would be, if this is any indication," Sara smiled, fighting back a laugh. "I'm afraid we'd never leave."

"Darn," he pouted, and this time Sara did laugh.

"We'll finish this another time," she planted a light kiss on his jaw before pushing off of him.

"Promise?" He hopefully called after her as she walked towards the bathroom. Her only answer was to close the bathroom door with a laugh.

He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, and was automatically reminded of the feel of her silky locks of hair, his hand tangled in them. Shaking his head with a smile, he turned and set his feet on the ground. Standing up, he stretched his arms up over his head before grabbing his robe and heading to the other bathroom to shower and shave off the scruff. He finished fairly quickly, and tying the robe sash around his waist, padded back into his, now their, bedroom.

He was standing in front of his closet, robe still on, debating what to wear, when a pair of arms enveloped him from behind. He closed his eyes a moment, savoring the moment before turning around in the embrace, and pulling her also robe-clad body against him. He marveled, not for the first time, how perfectly she fit against him. They stood there taking each other in, studying almost, before he leaned his head down and captured her mouth in a soft kiss.

"That's it, I promise I'll be good," he said. "I just can't seem to stop, cause I keep thinking this is all just a dream and that I'm gonna wake up, and you'll disappear."

"Not happening, cause I like this dream too much."

"Good. Now help me pick out what to wear today in our dream adventures."

"Clothes, preferably," she said with a smile. "I think you'll be fine. I've got to go get dressed too ya know."

"Fine," he pouted, but turned back to his closet and grabbed the first things that appeared to match.

"See, you didn't do too bad," Sara commented, walking back in a few minutes later dressed in dark jeans, a light green t-shirt, and sneakers, with her hair in a pony-tail.

"Thanks," he nodded, looking at himself. He had also thrown on jeans, a brightly colored, striped, button-up t-shirt, and spiked his hair crazily.

"I'm gonna go ahead and head over to the lab, so I see ya there."

"All righty then," he walked over and pressed a kiss to her forehead with a smile before letting her go.

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"Hey Greggo, cutting it close tonight?" Nick commented, lazily spinning in his chair.

"Hey, better close then late," he panted slightly, looking up at the clock which showed only a few minutes till the start of shift.

"Where'd you go?" Sara asked, looking at him curiously.

"Who said I went anywhere?" He gave her a grin, sitting down next to Catherine.

"Yeah, Sara got here on time," Catherine commented.

"Well, I'm Greggo, aren't I? Not Sara," he gave a smirk, and set a newspaper on the table. "Anyways, I just got caught up reading this and lost track of time."

"Ooh, pass over the sports section," Warrick said, walking into the room with a pot of coffee in his hand, cups in the other.

"I think you'll be more interested in the style section," Greg opened the paper with a flourish.

There on the front page of the style section was a series of pictures. Several were of the mayor and other high city officials, however there were several of the night shift at various stages. One of them with the mayor when he called them up onstage to thank them. Another of Warrick and Mia, and Nick and Whitney dancing. One of Grissom, Catherine, and Ecklie talking with Brass and some of the other cops. And the last one of Sara and Greg as they were walking into the ballroom, hand in hand.

"Wow," Nick gave a whistle.

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly," Greg laughed.

"We look sharp," Warrick nodded. "I didn't even see photographers except at the door."

"They're sneaky devils," Catherine said, pulling the paper towards her and Sara for a closer look.

"That, or all the flashy diamonds those women were wearing caused camera flashes to pale in comparison," Sara said cynically.

"Do I detect a hint of jealousy?" Warrick said teasingly.

"Not really," she shrugged. "It just annoys me, that some people spend thousands of dollars on jewelry that don't wear more than once or twice, when it could be better used by others."

"You mean charities and things?" Nick questioned.

"That, or just organizations in general that help people, kids especially," she shrugged again. "Doesn't really matter to me."

"That's why you became a CSI, isn't it?" Greg looked at her appraisingly. "To help people."

"One of the reasons, probably the main one, yeah."

"Cool," Greg nodded, mulling that over. He had assumed that was why, as it was the reason for most of them, but it was nice having it confirmed.

"Uh, Sara, these are for you," Grissom said entering the room, a long white box in his hands. "They were delivered to reception, and Judy had me bring them down to you."

"Huh," Sara looked slightly confused as she took the box and opened it. "Oh wow."

Inside the box was 13 long stem roses, with a card nestled among the dew-drop covered stems. Sara pulled out the card and opened it, reading it over as everyone waited to see if she would read it aloud so they could hear.

"Who's it from Sara?" Catherine said curiously, although she had an idea.

"Yeah, and what's it say?" Nick added.

"Here," Sara handed him the card so he could read it out loud.

_My dearest Sara, _

_ The blue rose signifies my thoughts that you were unattainable to me. The orange, my fascination with you; your beauty, your personality, your heart. The lavender, my feelings of love at first sight for you. The coral, my desire for you; to be your friend, and everything else. The pale peach is a representation of the modesty you possess in all you do, and just one more thing I admire. The darker peach is to show my appreciation and gratitude for your gift of friendship. The yellow, our friendship, and the promise of a new beginning together. The light pink is a representation of the gentleness you show with those who need it. The dark burgundy, a representation of your unconscious beauty. The yellow with red tips, the time I found myself falling in love with you. The dark pink shows my admiration for the grace you have. The white, your innocence and humility. And finally, the red; to show my respect and sincere love for you. I can only hope that you feel the same, and are as excited as I am to begin our journey together. _

_ All My Love,_

_ S. _

"Whoa, that's deep," Warrick grinned, looking down at the note.

"This guy must really like you," Nick agreed.

"Not just like, love," Grissom pointed out. "Red rose signifies deep eternal love."

While the boys were talking, they weren't paying attention to Sara. Catherine was however, and she saw Sara's eyes shoot up to meet Greg's. Catherine watched as Sara tilted her head in question, and Greg nod slightly, a goofy grin lighting up his features.

"_I knew it!_" Catherine thought triumphantly. "_S. must stand for Sanders. Damn I'm good!_"

"What's the whole part about beginning your journey together mean?" Nick asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out when I deem it the time to tell you," Sara took the card from them and tucked it back into the box. "Now, I believe we have assignments to go over, Griss?"

"Uh, yes," Grissom quickly picked up the slips after his mind registered the quick subject change. "Only one case, 419 at a strip club off the strip. Catherine, Sara, you're on it. The rest of you, finish up paperwork or prepare for any upcoming court cases you have. Greg, the lab might need some help if you don't mind. Day and swing shifts had several cases and it's Hodges' day off."

"Sure, I can do that," Greg nodded after a moment.

"All right, I'll meet you at the car in five minutes?" Catherine turned to Sara.

"Sounds great, I just have to grab something out of my locker," Sara nodded, and Catherine once again was the only one who didn't miss Sara sending Greg a message with her eyes.

Catherine finished up her cup of coffee before leaving the break room. Making sure that neither Warrick, Nick, or Grissom was following her, she headed in the direction of the locker room, intent on catching Sara and Greg in a hopefully compromising situation. However, just as she got to the door, Sara came out, cheeks red, with slightly swollen lips.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Sara asked before Catherine could say anything.

"Yeah, I was just coming to get you," she nodded, and with a smile, turned around and headed to the parking lot.

"Is there something on my face?" Sara asked a few minutes into the drive. "Because you keep looking over at me."

"Other than swollen lips, nope," Catherine smirked. "Now spill- I know something is going on between you and Sanders, and I know he sent you those flowers."

"Really? Well that's new. I presumed S. sent them, whoever that is. Could be Nicky for all you know, his last name is Stokes," Sara deflected, wishing they would hurry up and get to the damn scene.

"Yeah well, Nicky looks at you like a sister, not to mention he's happily dating Whitney."

"Of course, how could I forget," Sara said sarcastically, then brightened. "Oh look, we're here!"

And before the car had hardly come to a stop, Sara had hopped out of the car and grabbed her kit from the trunk. Catherine shook her head, giving up for the moment. She would find out though, some way or another. After all, Sara had to ride back to the lab with her, and Catherine was fully prepared to 'get stuck in traffic' to make more time to question Sara. Grabbing her kit and locking the car, she joined Sara who was being briefed by Detective Vega.

"Vic's 48 year old Carl Yates, found shot in his hotel room by maid service," Vega began as he led them to the elevator to head up to the penthouse. "He's in the penthouse because he just won a multi-million jackpot as some game in the casino, and this is one of the winner's benefits. Originally though, he checked in with his wife 49 year old Tyra Yates, who has yet to be seen."

"Husband wins money, kicks wife to curb so he can get a younger Barbie, wife in a rage kills husband," Catherine posed a likely theory.

Setting their kits down just inside the door, Sara grabbed her camera and began doing photos of the body and the rooms. Catherine went into the bathroom to process, taking pictures first, then dusting. Noticing the toilet hadn't been flushed, she went to push the lever. However, finding resistance, she lifted the lid off the tank.

"I've got possible murder weapon!" Catherine called out, snapping a quick picture before pulling on a glove to lift out the gun wrapped in a plastic bag.

"Ooh, and someone was kind enough to keep the fingerprints and blood preserved," Sara smiled, leaning over to get a better look at what appeared to traces of blood on the gun.

"You know, a longer chain works better because then you tuck your engagement ring in your bra so they won't fall out," Catherine said nonchalantly as the rings on the chain fell into view.

"Oh I know, but this was all I had-" Sara stopped and slowly straightened up. "Damn. Uh, I'm gonna go process the body."

"Stop right there Sara Sidle," Catherine said firmly. "You are going to turn around and explain why you have an engagement ring on a chain around your neck."

"One sec," Sara gave a sigh as she pulled out her cell-phone and quickly dialed a number, speaking in Norwegian so Catherine wouldn't understand. "_Hey kjære, it's me…just processing the scene…yeah, listen, Cath's seen the rings, so I'm gonna tell her…Yeah, I don't want to lie to her…Thanks, and I love you too, bye_."

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Greg was in the break watching Warrick and Nick race on playstation, when his cell phone rang.

"Hey, what's up? …Cool…You okay with that? …Good luck, I love you," he said, pausing every now and then to listen.

"Greg man, you've been holding out on us!" Nick drawled.

"Yeah, why didn't you tell us about your new girl?" Warrick raised an eyebrow. Usually Greg was the first to boast about his 'conquests' when they were away from Grissom and the girls.

"I don't know," he shrugged, hoping they'd drop it.

"Aw, c'mon man," Nick grinned. "Usually you can hardly stop talking about your latest chick, what's up man?"

"She's different, okay?" He turned to face them, slightly angry. "She's _the one_. And I'm not gonna disrespect the woman I love by talking about her."

"Sorry Greg," Warrick apologized. "So what's her name anyways?"

"Uh, hold on a sec," he pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed a number, and also began speaking in Norwegian so the guys wouldn't understand. "_Hey vennen min…About that, well the guys and I were talking and bugging me about my new girl, so why don't we just finally tell everyone when we re-group later tonight…Yeah, like you, I don't want to lie…okay, I'll see you soon…you too, bye._"

"Okay, so what's the verdict?" Nick asked.

"I'll tell you guys later, promise," he smiled briefly before heading to the lab to check on some samples he had run.

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"Hey, I was just getting ready to tell Catherine about it…Are you sure? …okay then, we'll tell them once I get back. Cath and I should be done soon…all right, love ya…bye."

"Okay, now I'm waiting for my explanation about those rings around your neck," Catherine tapped a foot impatiently.

"I will tell you, I promise, but not right now," Sara looked at her. "Once we get back to the lab and we've gotten stuff put away. For now, we owe it to the victim to devote our full attention to the case."

"All right," Catherine replied slowly. "But I'm not going to forget."

They finished processing the scene, Catherine especially efficient as she was dying to know what Sara's secret was. Gathering everything together, it took them several trips to bring everything down to the tahoe. However, they finally finished, and about forty five minutes after Sara had gotten Greg's call, they were headed back to the lab. While in the car, Catherine looked over to see Sara taking the rings off and putting them on the ring finger of her left hand.

"Whoa, those are some expensive rings," Catherine grabbed Sara's hand as they came to a stop at a red light. "Sturdy platinum band, emerald cut diamonds, big one looks to be…oh, half a carat, and the baguettes look about a third each, am I right?"

"I don't know," Sara gave her an amazed look. "I'm sure you know more about rings than I do."

"Probably," Catherine agreed.

"Hey, do me a favor and swing by my house before we go back to the lab," Sara asked. "I've got something I need to pick up real quick."

Catherine nodded, and the drive to the townhouse was done in silence, except for the radio. Pulling up in front, Sara hopped out and ran inside. She grabbed the marriage license as proof, since she and Greg had framed it and hung it on the wall, along with a blown-up picture of them on their wedding day kissing. Finding the photos, Sara also grabbed them, putting everything inside an envelope. Running back out after a quick hello to Duke, Sara and Catherine arrived back at the lab a few minutes later.

"Hey, we're back," Sara said with a smile as she stuck her head in the lab.

"Okay, let's go round up people," Greg replied. "Hey Mia, head to the break room, I've got something to tell everyone."

"Sure," Mia nodded, although she looked a little confused.

"Where to next?" Greg asked as he left the lab with Sara.

"I'll get David, Doc Robbins, and Grissom, if you want to get Archie, Jacqui, and Bobby," Sara suggested. "Oh, and put your ring on, I've already put mine on."

"I'd love to, and sure, sounds like a plan," he agreed, slipping his ring on. "I'll meet you in the break room in a couple of minutes.

After making sure no one was watching, Greg leaned in and kissed her quickly. With a smile, he headed to round up his half of people while Sara did the same. A few minutes later, they met back up in the hall just outside of the break room. They could hear everyone inside talking and chatting, wondering what Greg and Sara wanted. Taking a deep breath, Sara took Greg's offered hand and intertwined their fingers. He gave her a reassuring smile before they entered, closing the door behind them.

"All right Greggo my man, what's the deal?" Archie questioned from where he was sitting on the counter.

"Sara and I have something we need to tell you guys," he started off, and was interrupted.

"You're dating, I knew it!" Nick exclaimed.

"No, we're not," Greg said firmly. "We told you already we weren't."

"Then what are you?" Warrick looked as confused.

"Engaged," Catherine smirked triumphantly, and everyone began shouting and exclaiming at once.

"Stop, STOP!" Sara had to yell to gather everyone's attention. "No we are not! If you'd listen, maybe you'd find out."

"Well then, tell us!" Nick said, slightly exasperated. "If you're not dating, and you're not engaged, what exactly are you two?"

A/N: Hee hee, a cliffie! I'm being evil, but y'all know you love me (or at least my story) anyways lol. Next chapter will be up Sunday May 1st, possibly a few days earlier, but it depends on how much time I get to write. Finals are coming up (I'm a freshman in college) and I have an unbelievable amount of assignments to do. So wish me luck. And to let y'all know, more reviews may encourage me to update faster (author smiles innocently) so review!


	10. Chapter 10 plus important AN at end of c...

Disclaimer: It's all mine! I make millions off of CSI! Which is precisely why I'm a struggling college freshman who's got a grand total of $1.78 in her pocket.

A/N: Hee hee, hiya! (ducks flying waffles thrown by annoyed reviewers) Okay, so it was a cliffie, although not much of one. Thought I'd just throw it in there to keep you guessing (not). It's about time everyone else finds out. I toyed with a bunch of different ways to have them 'come out' to the group, but I'm sticking to fairly traditional. Anyways, enjoy!

A Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Ten

"Well then tell us!" Nick said, slightly exasperated. "If you're not dating, and you're not engaged, what exactly are you two?"

"Now Nicky, I know you're a better CSI than that," Grissom spoke up, lips turned up at the corners in amusement. "Catherine and Warrick too. After all, it's fairly obvious."

"Well," Catherine huffed slightly. "If you're so smart Dr. Bugman, than what are they?"

"Husband and wife, married, life partners," he stated simply. "Take your pick."

"Married?" Nick stared at Grissom as if he had two heads. "Like they'd ever get married, except to their work maybe."

"I resent that!" Greg cried indignantly.

"And he's right," Sara added, barely containing a laugh. "Geez, I really wonder how you got to be a CSI level III Nicky, with brilliant deduction skills like that."

"You mean he's right?" Warrick stared at her. "Gris ain't just pulling one over on us?"

"Nope," Sara did laugh this time. "How'd you know anyways Grissom? We only told Doc Robbins."

"Human resources. I have to sign off on any change of address, change of marital status, change of name forms, etcetera, that come through involving my shift members," Grissom smiled at the looks of shock on everyone's faces.

"Well color me surprised," Jacqui shook her head before standing up and coming over to give them each a hug. "Congratulations you two. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some prints to sort."

Archie, Bobby, Mia, David, and Doc Robbins also all extended their congratulations, giving them hugs and handshakes before they too got back to work. Greg and Sara turned back to their team-mates and friends, looking at them to see their reactions. Grissom was watching them with a small smile on his face, amused at the events. Catherine was sitting there looking slightly annoyed that she hadn't seen the obvious signs in front of her face before then. It was probably just because it wasn't something she ever considered a possibility for them; hell, Sara wouldn't have considered it to be a possibility for her and Greg either a month ago. Nick and Warrick were probably the worst, in Sara's opinion, to see. Warrick looked upset that they she hadn't told him; after all, they were pretty good friends. Nick's face showed his disappointment, and that hurt Sara the most out of all of them. Nicky was like a brother to her, and she respected his opinion of her a lot.

"Surprise?" Greg said awkwardly, trying to break the silence.

"Uh, yeah," Catherine said, raising her eyebrows in a sort of 'duh!' gesture.

"I was wondering when you were planning on telling everyone," Grissom said thoughtfully.

"We wanted to adjust to the idea before having everyone do the same," Greg shrugged.

"Not to mention we wanted to prove that we could continue to work Greg professionally with each other, and not let our relationship affect our job," Sara added.

"But we're your friends," Warrick stated, spinning idly in the chair. "You could've…_should've_ told us."

"We're sorry, we really are," Greg turned to face him, his hands in his pockets as he slightly rocked back and forth on his feet. "But Sara and I are private people; Sara especially. We didn't want to come out and tell you when we started dating in case it didn't last. We didn't want things to be awkward at work if we were dodging around each other. I mean, you all remember what Grissom and Sara were like around each other. No offense."

"None taken," Grissom nodded his head slightly, acknowledging the truth of the statement.

"You're right, but damn," Warrick shook his head in disbelief. "I never pictured you two together."

"Well to be fair, neither did I," Sara's eyes crinkled at the corners as a slight smirk graced her features. She turned serious as she looked over at Nick who had yet to say anything. "Nick, say something?"

"What do you want me to say Sara?" his voice was cold, and angry. "You're one of my best friends, and you didn't tell me. I'm hurt, and I'm angry that you don't care enough about our friendship to tell me that you got MARRIED!"

"Nicky," Sara started, feeling like crying, her emotions catching up with her after the stressful day so far.

"No Sara! I'm sorry, but I'm hurt! Recently you've been keeping secrets; the dancing, the Norwegian, and now all this! Why? In the past we've always been open, I mean, you're like a sister to me!"

"And you're my brother!" Sara interjected. Greg slid his arm around her shoulders, rubbing his hand up and down her arm comfortingly.

"I don't know if that's how you really feel, if you can't even tell me about your marriage," he stopped her protest. "I know you gave your reasons, but I wouldn't have told, and you damn well know that _sis_," he spat what would usually be considered a term of endearment, but now sounded like a curse. "You should have told me Sara, no excuses."

And without a second glance, Nick got up and left the room, presumably to cool off somewhere. Sara felt Greg's hands on her shoulders, turning her around so he was hugging her to him. Catherine, Warrick, and Grissom all exchanged sad looks. They knew out of all of them that Nicky would be the angriest, but they didn't think it would be that bad. Grissom nodded pointedly towards the newly discovered couple, then towards the door. Catherine and Warrick nodded back, and all three of them quietly got up and left the room, Grissom closing the door behind him.

"Hey, it's okay," Greg said soothingly, lightly rubbing his hand up and down her back.

"No it's not!" she snapped as she jerked away, wiping at her face angrily with her hand. "Nicky's mad at me, who knows what the others really think, and I feel horrible about everything!"

Greg dropped his hands to his sides before he sat down, not looking at her. He was wondering if she now regretted everything that had happened. Sara finally took a breath, and looked to where he was. She tilted her head back as if looking for guidance from the powers that be, before heaving a deep sigh, reigning in her emotions

"I'm sorry kjære," her voice was quiet as she sat down next to him. "I just feel embarrassed about getting all weepy and splotchy."

"Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for the truth," he quoted. "Benjamin Disraeli."

"You're taking after Grissom too much," she gave a weak laugh, and Greg felt himself smile, knowing he caused it.

"That's not such a bad thing," he shrugged, and they settled into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Greg spoke up again. "It's been an emotionally draining day, huh?"

"Yeah, what with Catherine questioning me, and then this whole mess with Nicky," Sara sighed. "And I hate feeling so emotionally exposed, especially in front of the others. I know, I know, it's nothing to be ashamed of, and I've talked about it with my PEAP counselor, but changing is hard. I just feel so vulnerable, and I don't like that feeling. And now I took it out on you, and I shouldn't have."

"It's all right, that's what I'm here for," he shrugged again, moving an arm to pull her onto his lap so he could wrap his arms around her, and she leaned her head against his shoulder. "And besides, talking with you keeps me from going and finding Stokes and kicking his ass for hurting you."

"Well you'll have to wait a while to do that, I'm afraid," Grissom's soft voice broke in as he, Catherine, and Warrick entered the room. "I sent him on a de-comp out at Lake Mead."

"Shucks," Greg pretended to be disappointed. "Next shift then."

"Sure, let me know when and where, and I'll help," Catherine smiled at the picture the two of them made.

"As long as it's not on company time or property, feel free," Grissom smiled. "Now, we've got two other cases. Warrick, Sara, you're with me on a 419 in Henderson, Catherine, Greg, you've got a 419 in Summerland. Retired Mandalay Bay Casino owner, the press is all over it, so Cath, work your magic. Greg, listen to her, this is your first high-profile case."

"Will do!" Catherine grinned, snatching the assignment slip.

"Wait, Sara, Greg, are you guys all right to work these?" Grissom asked before he dismissed them.

"Yeah," Greg said, while Sara nodded. "We're good."

"All right, then let's head out," Grissom dismissed them.

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"All right, spill," Catherine demanded once she and Greg were in the car for the ride to Summerland.

"Spill what?" Greg feigned innocence.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about boy, so don't test my patience," she retorted, hiding a grin as he paled in fear.

"That, yeah, hee hee, uh, well," he stuttered slight, nervous. Catherine could be very…intimidating at times. And the fact he was 'trapped' in the car with her didn't help.

"Here, I'll make it easy on you and play 20 questions. When did you two start dating?" she posed a question.

"The fourth of July," he replied, the answer coming out easily. He and Sara had talked about all this, discussing and memorizing what their stories would be. "I invited her to go to a picnic in my neighborhood, and then go see the fireworks."

"Really? Cool," Catherine said more to herself than him. "How often did you guys date?"

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"Well, we didn't really call it dating for a while, but it varied. We'd go get breakfast together after shift sometimes, or we'd just hang out at one of our places and watch movies. Once or twice we went to Lake Mead and did some hiking. Another time we went to a concert at the amphitheatre and had a picnic. Different dates, different things," Sara shrugged slightly as she answered Warrick's question.

"Sounds like fun," Grissom commented.

"It was, he's a great guy," Sara answered, a smile lighting up her features.

"Damn girl," Warrick laughed. "You must be in love, cause your face just lights up when you talk about him."

"Yeah, I'm pretty lucky."

"How did he propose to you?" Grissom asked, curious. He had never been able to quite figure Greg's personality out. He was quirky, and totally unexpected in his actions most of the time, so he was wondering if Greg had proposed in a more traditional manner, or something crazy.

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"She had mentioned one time that as a kid, she loved to look at the stars," Greg began. "I called up a couple of people from the University, pulled a few strings, and set up a romantic dinner for two there on the first of November. I talked with an old friend of mine who teaches music at the high school, and she arranged for some of her orchestra students to form a quintet to play for us for extra credit in the class. When I picked Sara up, I blindfolded her and drove her to the observatory. I led her in and cued the kids to start playing while I opened the dinner trays from an Italian café we both like a lot. Then I finally took it off."

"What next?" Catherine said impatiently.

"Hold on, I gotta actually take time to breathe," he teased her. "Anyways, we ate, then I asked her for a dance before the kids had to go home. They had a curfew," he said, in reply to her questioning glance. "Then I turned on the telescope and asked her to help me find a set of specific coordinates."

"For what?"

"A star. I told her I had 'bought' one, and named in, through one of those sites," Greg smiled. "She asked me what it was named, and I told her Eternity."

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"Why Eternity?" Warrick asked.

"That's exactly what I said," Sara laughed. "And he said, because that's how long I hope you'll agree to be my wife for. Then he got down on one knee, pulled out the ring box, and flipped it open."

"And you said yes," Grissom stated the obvious.

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"And she said no, practically giving me a heart attack!" Greg laughed. "She said she'd be my wife for _longer_ than eternity."

"That's really sweet Greg," Catherine was awed.

"You sound surprised," his tone of voice was slightly hurt sounding.

"Honestly, yes," she replied bluntly. "I know you're a nice guy Greg, but sometimes it's easy to forget with your quirkiness in the lab, and your taste in angry sounding music."

"Oh, okie dokie," he said, understanding now. "Is that the scene?"

"Yep, that's it. Now, all we have to say is no comment, and don't even think of saying anything else or you will wish you had gotten a de-comp by the time I'm done chewing you out," Catherine smiled sweetly before climbing out of the car.

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"And then we got married two weeks later, because we didn't want a big fuss, or to wait," Sara grinned. "I mean, can you imagine what Catherine would have done if we told you all?"

"What?" Warrick couldn't help but laugh, Sara's humorous tone was catching.

"She would've dragged me around town for months!" Sara exclaimed. "I would've been stuck picking out china patterns, wedding stationary, flowers, invitation calligraphers, a wedding location, a reception location, complete with a DJ and reception menu. Not to mention I would've ended up with a huge, white, poofy, monstrosity trying to pass itself off as a wedding dress."

"That I can see," Grissom joined in the laughter.

"And that's only the beginning," Sara shook her head. "She would've thought of a million other ways to torture me."

"Probably, but hey, it's only because you're her friend," Warrick shrugged. "Not to mention she wants practice for when it's Lindsey's turn."

"All right, here we are," Grissom announced as they pulled up along the curb in front of the house where their body was.

"Let's go catch ourselves a bad guy," Sara nodded as they pulled their 'game faces' on, grabbed their kits, and went to investigate.

A/N: Okie dokie everyone, that's it for this chapter. Don't hate me for making Nicky to be the 'bad guy' in this chapter, but that just how I see him reacting. He doesn't like secrets being kept from him, and I see him and Sara as brother and sister. Things will work out next chapter probably, don't worry. Also, we get some background on Sara and Greg's relationship- all made up by them. I like the not-real proposal scene best myself lol. Sorry if the last half was confusing, but I thought it'd be kinda neat- Greg and Sara being questioned by Catherine, Warrick, and Grissom, respectively. One last thing, **very important, so please read**, is that I am going to be having final's this week, and then I have to pack up all my dorm stuff and get it home and unpacked. Then I have a camp counselor job for a couple of weeks, so I'm sorry to say that I will not be updating till early June. Please don't hate me! Have no fear though, because there is no way I will leave this story incomplete- it will be finished! Now, having said all that, review!


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: It's not mine, however much I wish it were sigh

A/N: Hey y'all! Did you miss me? I know I missed you lol. **First off, I'm soooo sorry this is up a day late! You won't believe it, but my internet decided to crash, and I couldn't upload! **But anyways, camp was crazy! Remind me to never apply to be a counselor ever again. I got stuck with a group of fifteen year olds, and they resented every single rule I told them they had to follow (as was dictated by the camp director). Not to mention they were extremely whiny- fussing about the sun, bugs, dirt, and everything else possible. But besides all that, it was fun. The other counselor who worked with me was fun, and she and I had a blast chatting. But I'm glad to be back to writing! Also, I'm working on another story, (I'm not gonna start posting it till it's completely done I think) that's gonna revolve around Hodges. Why, you may ask? Because I've got a soft spot for him, and he's probably a fav character of mine, as weird as that may sound. So once I start posting it, I hope you'll give it a chance. **Also, slight lemon near the end, but nothing too R- rated, but I wanted to let y'all know.** Now, onto the chapter!

A Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Eleven

Both teams made quick work of gathering the evidence, taking photos, interviewing witnesses and possible suspect, and arrived back at the lab within an hour of each other. Sara met up with Greg in the DNA lab where they were both dropping off results. Mia couldn't help but smile at how they just lit up around each other, and she wondered how anyone could've been so blind so as to not see that, including herself. Especially now that they had 'come out' about their marriage; you could practically see the attraction between the two.

"Results are in," they chimed together, sitting down at the table in the break room.

"You go ahead," Greg gestured.

"All right, blood on the knife was from the vic's wife, and the blood on her clothes and hands was her husband's," Sara passed the print-out down to Grissom and Warrick.

"And the fingerprints on the gun belong to our vic's step-brother," Greg passed his paper to Catherine.

"Good job everyone, make sure to finish up the paperwork-" Grissom started, but was interrupted by Nick entering.

"You, me, outside, now," Greg said abruptly, looking Nick in the eye as he stood up.

"Kjære," Sara looked at him, a frown on her face.

"I promise, no fighting, physical or verbal," Greg said firmly.

He walked around the table and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his arm around her shoulders, giving a quick squeeze. He straightened up before walking out of the break room, not even bothering to make sure Nick was following him. He went out the door at the back of the building, and braced himself against the wall while he waited. A few seconds later the heavy metal door protested it's being opened a second time.

"What do you want Greg?" Nick's voice sounded weary. Greg's thoughts of the verbal smack down he had been prepared to give immediately vanished.

"I only want to talk," he pushed himself off the wall. "I will admit though, earlier I would've beat your ass in the ground for talking to Sara like that."

"Well don't worry, I would've helped you," Nick gave a harsh laugh. "I was a jerk."

"I'm glad you realized that, so I don't have to point it out to you. Now talk to me man, what really has you so pissed off at Sara? And don't just give me that bullshit about it being because of her not telling you, blah, blah, blah. I'll believe you if you say it's part of it, but you and Sara are so close I _know_ there's more to it than that for you to go off on her like that."

"It _is_ part of why I'm so mad," Nick looked up at the slowly lightening sky. "I meant it when I said she's like a sister to me. You've seen that. I _hate_ people, especially those I consider family, keeping secrets from me. I mean, it kinda scared me, ya know? That if Sara didn't tell me about something this major in her life, what else is a lie or made-up? And then when I think of how much _I've_ told _her_, it makes me wonder if I can really trust her."

"You can," Greg said firmly. "This is the only thing she's kept back. And she _wanted_ to tell everyone. I asked her not to. You know I've just made CSI 1, and I didn't want Grissom to think I wouldn't be able to do the job. So if you want to be angry at someone for keeping it secret, than take it out on me, not her. I will not let you hurt her like that again."

"You really do love her." Nick looked over at him, almost as if seeing him in a new light.

"With all my heart," Greg nodded. "Now what else is bothering you?"

"Whitney broke up with me. Says it's just not working for her," Nick sighed, running a hand through his hair. "So I'm upset about that, cause I really liked her, ya know? And then coming to work and having to play twenty questions to find out that you and Sara are married, and so happy looking with each other…I don't know…it was a double whammy on my emotions I guess."

"Sorry man," Greg walked over and lightly punched Nick in the arm. "That sucks I know, but hey, you'll find Mrs. Right soon enough."

"Yeah yeah, I've heard it before," Nick gave a grin.

"Now, one last thing," Greg started as they walked back in, his arm draped over Nick's shoulders.

"Sure."

"Apologize to my girl, and make it good," Greg laughed as they walked back to the break room.

"You're both in one, un-bruised and un-bloodied piece," Catherine stated. "Good."

"Sara," Nick walked over to her and knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his. "I was a jerk, a big 'ol Tex-Ass, and I don't deserve it, but will you forgive me?"

"You said a lot of hurtful things Nicky," she looked him in the eye.

"I know. I was having a bad day, but that was no excuse to take it out on you," he gave her a puppy-dog smile. "I really do consider you my sister, and my best friend-"

"What about me?" Warrick interrupted teasingly, and Catherine smacked him upside the head for interrupting.

"You too man," Nick grinned, then turned back to a smiling Sara who held up her hand.

"I'll forgive you this time bro, but if you _ever_ say those things again…" she trailed off, leaving him to imagine the consequences.

"Thanks," he whispered, standing up and pulling her into a hug. "Greg already gave me a warning."

"Oh did he?" Sara looked over at Greg, who was beginning to color slightly.

"That he did darlin'. Seems he's very protective of you," Nick drawled, laying the accent on thick, and everyone laughed.

"Oh sure, laugh at poor little me," Greg pretended to pout.

"We'd be glad to," Warrick quipped.

"Sorry Greg," Sara gave a short laugh as he sat down next to her.

"Nah, no biggie," he waved it off. "I was just playing anyways."

"Hey!" Catherine said suddenly. "You're married!"

"Yeah, we _did_ mention it earlier," Greg deadpanned as he nodded. "Glad you remembered."

"Very funny Greg," she rolled her eyes. "No, I _know_ you're married. But we never got to throw you guys an engagement party, or a wedding shower, or a reception, or a house warming party, or anything like that. So you know that this means you two get to host a party at your place, don't you?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," Sara grimaced. "All right, we'll host a New Year's party for the night shift, will that appease you?"

"Aw man, does that mean we have to clean up the house?" Greg whined.

"Nope," Sara replied.

"Really?" Greg turned to her with a smile.

"No, it just means that _you_ have to clean up," Sara smirked. "I will be cooking and decorating."

"Ooookay, fine with me."

"You're gonna give in that easily?" Warrick laughed. "She's got you whipped man."

"Hey, you've had her cooking!" Greg said defensively. "It's awesome, and since this will be a party, that means it'll be better than usual, and desserts and stuff."

"Oh, and let's just make it extremely casual," Nick added. "That way we'll all be comfortable."

"All right, if you're finished discussing our New Year's plans?" Grissom interrupted with a smile. "Finish up the paperwork for the cases this evening, and be sure to finish up any other paperwork that you may have left. Oh, a reminder, holiday vacation forms need to be turned in by the end of the week in order to be approved. Sara, Greg, Nick, your requests have already been approved."

"Awesome," Nick grinned.

"Back to Texas Nicky?" Catherine questioned.

"Yeah man. For Christmas anyways, I get to spend some much needed time spoiling my nieces and nephews," he nodded with a smile.

"And where are you two going?" Catherine turned her inquisition on Greg and Sara.

"Thanksgiving we're spending with my family, and Christmas we're going to spend with Greg's," Sara answered.

"Meeting the in-laws," Warrick chuckled. "You nervous?"

"A little, but not really," Sara shrugged. "I mean, of course I hope they like me, but if they don't, then there's not really much I can do about it."

"They'll like you…no, they'll love you, don't worry," Greg reassured her. "After all, what's not to love?"

"What about you Greggo? Nervous about meeting her family?" Nick asked.

"He doesn't have any reason to be worried in the slightest!" Sara laughed, answering for him. "My parents were hippies, and so are my aunt and uncle. My cousins are more like me, though not quite so serious, and their kids are typical kids. My brother's a lot like Greg, personality wise too. His wife's a sweetheart."

"Really?" Grissom looked at her. "Your parents were hippies?"

"Down to the special brownies, long hair, and tye-dyed and leather fringed clothing," Sara blushed slightly.

"That must have been interesting growing up," Warrick commented.

"It was definitely weird at times," she nodded. "They were forever telling me not to worry about school, to just go with the flow, not to do homework, and other hippie-ideals. Obviously, I didn't. I was always reading or doing school work. I remember they were disappointed in me for making Valedictorian and graduating high school early. Even more so when I got into Harvard on a full scholarship."

"Wow," Catherine shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe that. I'd be ecstatic if Lindsey would, for once, do her homework willingly."

"Yeah, well, my family was messed up," Sara tried to shrug it off, but everyone could see the slight pain that showed in her eyes.

"Well you've got us now," Nick grinned, slinging his arm around her.

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Sara deadpanned, but only for a second before she burst out laughing.

"Oh fine, see if we get you any Christmas gifts," Warrick teased.

"Well, if that's how you're gonna be, I guess I'll just have to return the things I got you all."

"Hey, just because they're insensitive idiots, don't take it out on me!" Catherine held up her hands, as Grissom made a noise of protest. "Or Grissom."

"Thank you," Grissom smiled at her.

"You're welcome," she replied, laughing at the looks on Nick and Warrick's faces.

"Aw man," Nick pouted, exchanging looks with Warrick. "Now they're ganging up on us. No fair."

"Life's not fair, Nicky my boy," Greg stretched his arms, spinning around idly in the chair.

"Yes, and while we're on the topic of life not being fair," Grissom interrupted. "I'm pulling rank and ordering everyone to go finish paperwork, myself included."

There was a collective groan at his words, but it was all in good-natured protest. They knew they had to get to it; it was part of the job. And maybe not the most desirable part of the job; certainly it wasn't the reason any of them had gone _into_ the field, but it was almost as important. It was documented proof of crime scenes, witness confessions, testimonies, and most importantly, the evidence. Evidence that allowed the state to send criminals to jail, keeping them off the streets, and keeping them from hurting innocent people. So with no further complaining, they all separated to finish their work in the relative quiet of their office, or the break room, or in Greg's case, the lab; even though he didn't work there, he couldn't concentrate without the gentle hum of the mass spec going in the background.

"Hey, you almost done?" Greg said with a knock on the door to the break room.

"One sec," Sara replied absently, finishing up a sentence before signing off on the bottom. "Finished."

"Good, you wanna go grab some breakfast then, cause I'm starving," he smiled sheepishly as his stomach grumbled audibly for the entering Nick and Warrick to hear. "You guys too?"

"Sure," she agreed before turning to the guys. "You almost done?"

"Yeah, just a few to sign off on," Warrick nodded.

"Why don't you go round up Catherine and Grissom, and we'll meet you out front?" Nick suggested, shuffling his papers into the appropriate folders.

"All right, see ya in a few then," Sara smiled before heading out of the room, Greg behind her.

As soon as they were out of sight of the break room, he reached a hand out and grabbed her hand, swiftly turning her around and pulling her to him. She let out a rare giggle as her hands went to rest against his chest while his settled possessively on her waist. He gave her an impish smile before claiming her lips with his. Sara couldn't help but moan slightly at the emotions that coursed through her because of something so simple as a kiss. She could only imagine what the electricity would feel like when they made love for the first time…which if Sara had her way, would be soon.

"You know, I'm not even going to try and say you two are involved, no one believes me," Hodges interrupted them.

"About that, well, you were right," Sara pulled back from Greg, smiling.

"Sara and I got married," Greg grinned broadly. "That first night you caught us kissing was the day we got married."

"You…her…married…?" Hodges stammered, looking absolutely shocked.

"Aren't I lucky?" Sara smiled, turning her face obligingly towards Greg, who happily kissed her sweetly.

"Oh hell," Hodges murmured, before passing out in shock.

"You know, it's horrible, but I don't feel the least bit guilty about leaving him there," Sara laughed as they finally arrived at Grissom's office.

Greg left Sara to wait for Grissom to close up his office, and went to get Catherine. After waiting for her to also close up her office, they finally made there way out to the front of the building, just in time to meet Grissom and Sara. After agreeing about where to eat, they climbed into their respective cars and drove to a diner not too far away with great breakfast specials, not to mention discounts for cops. Everyone ordered their food, and the next hour was spent in light bantering and laughing conversations. Catherine was the first to leave, wanting to get home to Lindsey. Grissom bowed out next, needing to go home and feed his bugs there. Warrick and Nick hung around a while longer over coffee, but had to leave to meet up with some friends of theirs. Sara and Greg footed the bill, before heading out to the car where Greg promptly kissed Sara again, enjoying the sweetness of the kiss, thanks to the syrup from the pancakes she had eaten.

"Why don't we continue this at home?" Sara suggested, a smirk on her face. "Somewhere a little more…private?"

"As my lady commands," he bowed playfully, walking around and climbing into the passenger seat.

Arriving at home, Sara gave him a flirty smile as she walked into the kitchen to put their leftovers in the fridge. Greg came up behind her as she closed the door, and spun her around once again to kiss her as he backed her up against the kitchen counter. While most of their kisses had been tender or hesitant, these were completely different. There was nothing tender or gentle about the way his lips pulled and gnawed at hers, only the passion they both felt fueling the heated kisses. Greg couldn't remember the last time he had kissed a woman and honestly felt as though he'd never be able to stop. The more he kissed the beautiful woman in front of him, the more he wanted too, and the closer to her he felt he needed to be. It was almost as if couldn't get enough of her- touching, kissing, caressing, embracing.

He felt her fingers running through and pulling at his hair, her lips meshing with his, trying to keep up with him. The funny thing was that he could do no more than just lean into her and try to keep up himself. Sara was completely pressed against his body, and she wouldn't have it any other way. Every time she pulled back to regain her breath, she only felt hotter, and needed more. Each time she did, she couldn't help but share a lust-filled smile with Greg before he bent slightly to reclaim her lips.

Her hands met the waistband of his jeans and slid around to his back. When that wasn't good enough for her, she slipped her hands inside of his shirt and clutched at the hard muscles his smooth, soft skin hid. At the contact of her hands and nails lightly raking over his skin, Greg groaned into her mouth, deepening the kiss with his tongue. The feel and expertise of his tongue almost sent her over the edge, and she knew they were happily losing control. His hands moved from her back to the front, pulling her shirt from where it was tucked-in, and began unbuttoning it. With their lips never breaking contact, he wrapped his arms around her mostly-naked torso.

"You know…there's only…so long…we can stand…here," Sara panted into his ear, relishing the feel of his broad hands on her back.

"You're right," he grinned, also panting, and in one swift move, had slid his hands down her back, over the curve of her bottom with a playful squeeze, and rested them at the back of her thighs before lifting her up, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist as he moved to the stairs, and their bedroom.

Lying her down gently on the bed, he pulled back a moment, looking her in the eyes as if to once more check that it was okay, before turning his attention back to her gorgeous figure. Slowly, and with slightly unsteady hands, he pushed the sides of her shirt aside, his eyes running meticulously over her body. His fingertips skimmed lightly over the valley between her breasts, and then around the curve of one breast and back again. He leaned down and placed small kisses along the curve of each breast, enjoying the texture of her skin with his lips and tongue. While slightly distracted by his touch, Sara was aware enough of the fact that Greg was overly dressed, and began tugging on his shirt, pulling it over his head, his ministrations hardly ceasing.

"I love you," he whispered, nipping lightly at her ear as he slid her pants off.

"I love you too," she whispered back, returning the favor, before they both gave in to the passion and lust that had been building over several days.

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A/N: Okie dokie, well, first sex scene, and no, I don't plan on going into any more detail than what you see above. I don't think I could do justice to the feelings, passion, and emotion that are incorporated in the act of making love, so I won't try. I'll leave it to your imaginations. Hope you all enjoyed, and leave a review if you're so inclined! Also, if you could, if you review, let me know what you think about my writing a Hodges-centric fic, and if you'd read it at all.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: It's not mine, damn it, so stop asking

A/N: Hey everyone, glad to see you're still with me after my period of absence! I'm apologizing for not updating Sunday. The thing is, I work Monday through Friday, 6:30 am to 16:30 pm, serving as a nanny to three children. Then on Saturday and Sunday I play my viola for the opera "Carmen" which is being performed locally in my hometown. And not to sound like I'm throwing myself a pity party (I'm just venting, honestly, lol), but I also have to take care of my family's pets since my Papa and sisters are away for a few weeks- my sisters on vacation, my Papa on business We have two large dogs (1 lab, 1 labradoodle), three cats, one rabbit, four guinea pigs, one hamster, one gerbil, and four hermit crabs. So, I will do my best to update every week, but it's extremely tiring for me. However, I promise this will not go un-continued or un-finished. Now onto the chappie!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Twelve

"Good morning," Greg's soft kisses around her ear woke her pleasantly in the early evening.

"You know, I'm getting a major feeling of déjà vu here," she laughed softly, turning her head to kiss him.

"Hey, no complaints 'bout that," he laughed with her.

"We need to pack you know," Sara said a moment later, curled up against him. "We leave in just a few days."

"Do we have to?" Greg whined, tightening his arms around her. "I think I'd rather just lie in bed with you."

"As much fun as that would be, you know we can't. We have to pack, figure out where Duke and Belladonna will stay while we're gone, check on our flight arrangements to check when we need to be at the airport by, and arrange a ride to the airport."

"Ugh, work!"

"Yeah, it stinks, but look on the bright side."

"Which is?"

"You get to spend all that time with your beautiful, loving, wife," Sara grinned, leaning over and kissing him.

"I don't know," Greg pretended to look torn in indecision. "What's my second option?"

"There isn't one," she stuck her tongue out at him as she wiggled out of his arms with a yawn. "Now come on, work calls. Maybe we can ask Warrick if he'd mind keeping Duke and Belladonna, since I'd really rather not have them stay at a kennel. And we could probably ask him for a ride to the airport too, or talk to Nick about how he's getting there and work something out."

"Ugh," Greg grimaced sleepily. "You're talking about other men in our bedroom. That's cruel and unusual punishment so early in the morning."

"It's evening."

"Same difference."

"If you say so kjære," Sara grinned as she twirled around into the bathroom.

"I hate it when she's right," Greg muttered, grabbing a pillow and throwing it over his face as he heard the shower start.

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"Hey Warrick, we've got a favor to ask," Greg said without preamble as he and Sara walked into the break room.

"If I can do it, sure, just name it," Warrick nodded.

"While we're gone for Thanksgiving, is there any way our dog and cat could stay with you?" Sara asked. "We really don't like the idea of putting them in a kennel, even though it'd only be three days."

"And they get along really well, and neither of 'em is messy or hyper," Greg added.

"Yeah, no problem, as long as they'll be fine for a few hours while I go to my Grams for Thanksgiving dinner," Warrick agreed.

"That'll be fine, I'm sure they'll just doze," Sara gave him a quick hug. "Thanks. We'll bring them over early Wednesday morning."

"Okay, I'll see them then. And I suppose we'll talk later so you can tell me what I'll have to do for them exactly?"

"Yeah, and we'll write up what you need to do also in case you forget, though it's not hard at all."

"Okay," Warrick nodded. He spoke up again after a slight pause. "Hey, do you guys need a ride to the airport or anything? Cause I already told Nick I'd give him a lift, and it'd be no problem to do the same for you two. Nick has to be there by eight in the morning."

"Actually yeah, that'd be really great," Greg nodded. "We'll bring the animals over Tuesday night then, and see you bright and early at six thirty I guess?"

"Sounds like a plan."

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"Thanks again for all your help Warrick," Sara said as he came around to help unload their luggage from his trunk.

"Hey, what are friends for?" He smiled. "Have a great trip."

"Thanks," Sara gave him a hug and an impulsive kiss on the cheek. "Have a great Thanksgiving."

"You too girl," he returned the hug, slightly surprised at the uncharacteristic display of affection. "Keep the youngin' in line."

"Hey, I resemble that!" Greg laughed. "And thanks again for keeping the animals."

"Thanks man," Nick gave Warrick a brotherly hug before grabbing his suitcase and following Greg and Sara inside.

All three shared a smile as they got into line. They were both flying on Delta, but of course Nick was headed to Texas, and Sara and Greg to California. Luckily for them, not too many people were there, so they got through the check-in process fairly quickly. Security was also another fairly quick process, though Greg was pulled aside for one of the random carry-on baggage checks and bodily pat-down. He tried to glare at Nick and Sara while he gathered his dignity, but ended up laughing with them.

"I bet she was hoping to get your phone number," Sara teased him about the mid-age, chubby, female security guard.

"Ha! I bet she only picks hot guys like me cause she's not getting any, and this is the only chance she has to get some action," Greg mutter, rubbing his backside which had sustained a pinch.

"Then why didn't she pick me?" Nick said with a grin.

"Well because you obviously don't have my animal magnetism," Greg replied haughtily, puffing his chest out.

"You wish," Sara punched him lightly in the stomach, causing him to 'deflate' with a whoosh.

"Hey guys, I'm down near gate 81," Nick pointed his thumb to the left hallway.

"Aw, we're down at 5," Greg looked at his ticket.

"Take care bro," Sara hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Have a good Thanksgiving."

"You too sis," he kissed her back as he returned the hug.

"See ya in a couple of days Nick," Greg shook his hand before they headed to their respective gates.

About two hours later, Greg and Sara were able to start boarding, and settled into their seats as comfortably as they could. Greg pulled out his CD player, and Sara pulled out the latest John Grisham novel to read. Not too long after, the plane took off, and before they knew it, they had arrived, grabbed their baggage, and hailed a taxi to the Sidle Inn.

"Now prepare yourself," Sara warned Greg, knocking on the door.

"For wha-" he started to say, but the door flying open cut him off.

"SARA!" a tiny, petite woman came bursting out onto the porch, enveloping Sara in a hug.

"Hello Aunt Linda," Sara managed to gasp out.

"Uh, hi," Greg waved his hand, effectively distracting the woman, and causing her to release Sara from the bone-breaking hug.

"Hi, you must be George!" Aunt Linda exclaimed.

"Greg, and yeah, that's me," he received a hug from her too, just as bone-crushing as Sara's was.

"That's what I said, Fred," she bubbled on, ushering them into the Inn. "Call me Aunt Linda, after all, we're family now!"

"Hey-hey, look who's here!" Bill stood up from his seat behind the welcome desk. "I'm Uncle Bill, nice to meet you Ted."

"It's Greg, and you too," Greg tried once again to correct his name, shaking the man's hand.

"Why so it is Ned," Bill waved his hand. "Now, you two just go on into the back porch since everyone's here. Linda and I will take care of your bags and everything. Dinner's at six, so don't be late!"

"We wouldn't dream of it Uncle Bill," Sara gave him a smile before taking Greg's hand and pulling him down the hall.

"Sorry, I tried to warn you," Sara apologized. "They really don't care too much about names or anything. Since we're never around, chances are that they'll never get it right."

"Okay, so from now on I should just answer to anything?" Greg laughed.

"Pretty much," she smiled, before leading him to the screened-in back porch where they found about a dozen people sitting.

"Sara!" A tall, thin man who looked a good deal like Sara stood up.

"Hey Chris," Sara smiled broadly, hugging him tightly and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Who's this?" Her brother asked, motioning to Greg.

"Everyone, this is my husband Greg Sanders," Sara introduced, smiling as her cousins and brother's face lit up in surprise. "Kjære, this is my brother Chris, and his wife Yvette. On the couch is my cousin Justin and his daughters Jane and Miranda. On the swing is my cousin Carly, her husband Tom, and their kids Renee, Matthew, and Jeremy. And over in the chairs are my cousin Megan, her husband Daniel, and their kids Brittany and Dylan."

"I'm surprised you remember," Carly said snidely. "Seeing as you haven't seen us for what…a few years now?"

"Mom, now that we've met Aunt Sara, can we _please_ go down to the beach?" Renee interrupted, asking her mother.

"Yes, but no getting wet or so help me God you'll be grounded for a month," Carly warned as all the kids ran off.

"Well none of that matters now, does it Carly, since she's here now," Justin said pointedly.

"Humph. She could've made a point to do something other than send a cheap card every Christmas," Carly replied haughtily, tossing her head.

"Carly, don't start," her husband Tom gave her a pointed glare.

"Don't worry, I'm suddenly not feeling well, so I think I'll just go to our room now," she stood up and swept out of the room with one final condescending look at Sara.

"I think I'll go talk to her," Tom announced, standing up. With an apologetic smile, he left the room.

"We _are_ glad to see you Sara," Megan said softly. Six month old Dylan gurgled happily and loudly from his spot on her lap, as if in agreement.

"And married, no less," Justin added as they took the now vacant swing. "I don't recall an invitation."

"That's because we didn't send one," Sara explained. "We had a very small, private ceremony. Just the two of us. Not long after we got engaged, we just decided that we didn't want to wait."

"Well congratulations," Yvette gave them a smile.

"Thanks."

"So what do you do Greg?" Chris asked, curious about the man his sister had married.

"I work at the LVPD crime lab with Sara," he answered proudly. "I'm also a CSI."

And with that question, the remaining tension that had been in the air evaporated. The men regrouped themselves, while the women did the same. Conversation flowed easily amongst the men, primarily around work and for the women, the children. Sara listened with mild interest as Megan vented about breastfeeding, the long nights, and teething horrors. Yvette was six months pregnant however, and avidly taking in everything that Megan rattled on about.

"How about your plans Sara?"

"I'm sorry, I missed what you just said," Sara smiled.

"I asked if you had plans with Greg about having a large family?" Yvette asked again.

"We both want to have several children, though I'm not sure how large exactly," Sara shrugged slightly. "We haven't talked too much about it."

"That's cool. Though from looking at Greg, it must be fun trying," Megan gave Sara a sly grin. "He's a cutie."

"Thanks, I think so too, but then again I did marry him."

"MOMMY!" A little girl's voice carried up to the adults. "Jeremy's trying to put a FISH in my HAIR!"

"Oh I better go help Brittany," Megan said exasperatedly. "Do me a favor and hold Dylan?"

Megan transferred the baby swiftly into Sara's lap and arms, and left the screen porch already scolding the children who were running around. Sara turned helplessly to look at Yvette, but at that moment Aunt Linda pulled her into the kitchen to help with something. Sara sat for a moment, not quite sure what to do. The last time she had been around a child this young was when one of her foster families was taking care of an eight month old AIDS baby for a few weeks. And because of his delicate condition, she hadn't been allowed to hold him, not that she had really cared. She was much more intrigued by the hamster her foster sister had in her room.

"Just move him so he can lean against you," Daniel called out with a smile. "Swing a bit too, and he should drift off to sleep before you know it."

Sara shot him a look of thanks as she gently lifted baby Dylan and adjusted him so his back was leaning against her chest, his chubby legs extended across her lap. One of her arms helped support him, her hand resting alongside of his legs, keeping him from falling. As she used a foot to swing herself slightly, it wasn't long before Dylan's head fell to rest against her chest. Her other hand, almost of it's own volition, rose to softly smooth his curly hair. Tired from the flight, short as it was, Sara fell asleep also, her head falling back to rest on the cushioned edge.

"You've got babies on the brain," Justin commented to Greg.

"Huh?" Greg shook his head, turning away from looking at Sara to look at Justin.

"He's right, you've definitely got babies on your mind," Chris laughed.

"Yeah, a little. We both want children, but in all the time I've known Sara, I've never had the opportunity to see her interact with a child, much less a baby."

"Well here," Daniel pulled out a digital camera and snapped a couple of pictures of Sara. "I can print these off for you later so you can have the memory."

"Thanks, I'd really appreciate that."

"And be sure to take some into work," Chris' eyes lit up. "I'm sure you know as well as I that she puts on a tough, independent woman act. It'll be a nice change for her co-workers to see her as something else other than that."

"Definitely," Greg agreed, his eyes still on his wife. "I mean, we've all seen very slight glimpses, but it was always just a flash, and then it was gone. Even in all the time I've known her, and now that we're married, she still likes to put on that front at times. I'm breaking her walls down though, and helping her shine through."

"Good, it was about time someone did," Chris grinned and clapped him on the back. "You passed."

"Passed what?"

"My un-official inspection to see if you're good enough for my sister," he laughed softly, so as not to wake Sara. "I think you'll be good for her."

"No better than she'll be for me," he smiled.

"HEY DADDY! COME LOOK AT WHAT I FOUND!" Justin's daughter Miranda yelled.

"Duty calls," Justin stood up, and Daniel stood with him.

"I think I'll go give Carly a hand in corralling the kids. Dinner should be starting soon."

"Sure," Chris nodded.

"Hey, I've got a confession to make," Greg started slowly, glancing to make sure Daniel and Justin were out of ear-shot, and that Sara was still asleep.

"If you've murdered someone, I don't want to hear it," Chris laughed, but quickly sobered. "Sorry, sure, go ahead."

"When I proposed to Sara, it was for the same reasons she agreed to marry me," Greg began. "I had trapped myself and told my mom I was going to be married by the end of the day she called. When she asked who the woman was, Sara's was the first name that popped into my head. Sara didn't feel as trapped in needing to find a spouse, but she agreed to marry me to solve both our dilemma's. We weren't in love; I'm not even going to pretend that we were. I will admit I liked her, as a friend, and as a woman. Over the course of the past two weeks though, we've had a storybook romance."

"Okay," Chris didn't look terribly surprised. "And you're telling me this why? I had already figured that you guys had a marriage of convenience. Sara would've mentioned something earlier if you had actually been dating, or getting serious."

"Well, I've fallen in love with her, and I know she feels the same. Someday I'd like to have a renewal of vows, and give her the wedding she deserves, and I'd like to ask your blessing on that," Greg answered, wringing his hands nervously.

"You have it," Chris said simply. "I respect you for telling me, though I did already. Just be sure to let me know when it's going to be so I can go."

"Sure, I think we can do that," Greg sighed, relieved, and held out his hand to shake Chris'.

"DINNER!" Aunt Linda's shrill voice reverberated through the house.

Greg moved to help the now-awake Sara stand, taking the baby from her and making gibberish noises at the also now-awake boy. She stretched her arms before walking over to her brother and pulling him out of his seat for another hug. He returned the hug, slightly confused.

"What was that for?"

"I just missed you is all," Sara gave a slight shrug and a smile as she pulled back. The truth was that she had heard her brother and Greg talking earlier, and felt her heart swell near to bursting with pride and love for the both of them.

"Oooookay," he replied slowly, but gave a small grin. Greg also smiled upon seeing Sara's characteristic smile on her brother's face. Chris turned and headed inside.

"Thank you for what you did," Sara moved to stand by Greg, her arm loosely around his waist.

"Hm?" He replied, still enthralled with the baby.

"For asking my brother his blessing to re-marry me," she laughed slightly, than changed the subject before he could respond. "Where'd you learn to be so good with kids?"

"Ever since I was twelve I've been baby-sitting for the kids in my neighborhood," he shrugged. "I guess I've always just had a fair hand with the little munchkins."

"Well I think you'll make an excellent dad someday," she told him as they moved inside and walked down the hallway to the dining room where they could hear everyone gathering.

"You will too," Greg leaned in and kissed her. "Make an excellent mom I mean."

"I hope so."

"You will, I can tell. You did great with Dylan here. And you can get lots of practice while we're here until we have our own kids," Greg looked over at her and grinned mischievously. "Speaking of having kids, I want to have a whole passel of 'em."

"You do, huh?" Sara returned his gaze.

"Yep, and I think we should practice _everyday_ if we need to, until we get it right!" Greg laughed as her fist hit his arm lightly, so as not to disturb the baby.

"You're incorrigible," Sara pursed her lips in mock annoyance, but quickly switched to a smile as they entered the dining room.

The next day went by, and was generally enjoyable for them. Thanksgiving dinner was a noisy affair, between the children's squabbles and Aunt Linda's boisterous conversation with everyone, yelling down to those at the opposite end of the table. Greg settled in fine amongst everyone, but especially the kids. He had a blast entertaining them with silly stories, or made-up games. And every time Sara saw him interacting with them, she felt a little surge of hope that she might be pregnant. Of course they had only had sex once…er, twice. She had inducted Greg into the mile high club. But she knew the likelihood of her getting pregnant from one of those two times was small. However, she also knew once was all it would take. And besides, if she wasn't, like Greg said, they could practice everyday till they got it right.

OooOooOooO

A/N: Okay, that's it. A little shorter than some, but I wanted to get something up since two weeks have passed since I last posted. Once again, I so incredibly sorry for that, and so incredibly thankful that you're sticking with me. I hope you enjoyed it. I liked creating a crazy family for Sara, lol. And it was fun to have them both interact with kids. Anyways, review if you like, it's always appreciated.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: It's not mine, so yeah…I can't make gazillions of dollars off of CSI and Co.

A/N: Hey y'all. Man, am I glad that y'all are still with me! It's been a really rough week for me, finding out some news that I didn't particularly want to, and having to deal with the implications. I was also in the hospital with food poisoning, and diabetes complications for several days. Anyways, I'm glad y'all liked Sara's family. They're based very much on my Aunt and Uncle, who can never get my name right- Caitlyn, Caroline, Marilyn, Madeline…but never Maitlyn. Whatever name she starts with, if it's not right the first time, she just switches to something that semi-rhymes. Oh well, quoting Shakespeare, what's in a name? But anyways, this chapter will kinda be a filler more than anything, but some cute parts, and some witty banter. Fun, fun, fun I hope. And now without further ado (though before I go on, no I'm not from the South, but my Papa's from Tennessee, and it's worn off a bit on me) on to the chapter!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Thirteen

"Well that could've gone a lot worse," Sara gave a sigh as they settled into their seats for the return flight home.

"Yeah," Greg agreed. "I was kinda worried when we first met your family and your cousin Carly went all psycho on you!"

"She didn't go psycho, she was just making a point," Sara defended her snotty cousin. "And it was true, I hadn't see any of them for a while. I pretty much ignored them. And besides, she was pregnant, and you have no idea how much pregnancy hormones can affect a woman's mood and attitude."

"Well I don't think I'd mind knowing, as long as it's you who's hormonal," Greg laughed, pulling her against him in a one-armed hug.

"So you really do want a lot of kids?"

"Definitely! I want to have at least four. I want our house to be filled with laughter and love."

"Girls or boys?"

"I'll be happy with either, but I want at least one girl, who looks just as pretty as her mother. How about you?"

"As long as our children are healthy, that'll be enough for me," Sara smiled and turned her face up for a kiss, which he quickly obliged her.

"Yup," Greg yawned, and closed his eyes to take a nap during the flight home.

It seemed he had only closed his eyes when Sara was shrugging out of his arms and shaking his shoulder to get him to wake up. He stretched lazily and rubbed his face before grabbing his carry-on backpack from under the seat in front of him. Intertwining his fingers with Sara's, he followed her off the plane to the baggage claim to wait for their luggage. Un-luckily for them, their two bags were some of the last to show up on the conveyor belt. However, they finally arrived, and Greg pulled them off, not letting Sara take hers.

"Hey!" she objected, hurrying after him, trying to grab her small duffle bag.

"Nope, I'm gonna carry it," he teased, somehow managing to just keep it out of her reach, as he walked backwards.

"You're impossible," she huffed, but ceased her attempts. "Watch –"

"Oof!" Greg crashed into someone, causing all their bags to drop.

"Out," Sara added belatedly, and began to apologize while picking up everything, not bothering to look up. "I am so sorry sir. You'll have to excuse my husband."

"He's a klutz, I know," Nick's voice caused her to look up.

"Nicky!" she rose to her feet and accepted his warm embrace. "Hey, how was Texas?"

"Good, though I have to admit this wasn't the welcome back I was expecting," he laughed, picking up the last of the bags that had fallen.

"Well at least it was me who ran into you," Greg pointed out as they headed for the exit. "So you know who to sue if something's broken."

"Like I'd really do that to you. But how much do you think I'd get?"

"Not a thing if you're gonna be like that," Sara reached out and punched him on the arm as he pretended to contemplate all the money he'd sue Greg for.

"I'll just add abuse to the list of charges," he teased. "Now do either of y'all know where we're supposed to meet Warrick?"

"Right here," his smooth voice caused them to turn around to see him push off the wall he'd been leaning against. "Your accent gets thicker every time you go away bro."

"Good to see you too," Nick laughed, hugging Warrick after throwing his bags in the trunk as Sara and Greg did the same.

"Hope you didn't have too much fun without us," Sara smiled, hugging him also before climbing into the backseat with Greg.

"Course not," he laughed. "My Grandma may be a mean scrabble player, but she's got nothing on you guys when it comes to keeping me entertained."

"Good to know," Greg rolled his eyes.

"So how was Tamales Bay you two?" Warrick questioned, looking at them in the rearview mirror as they pulled out of the lot.

"Good, though I have no idea what my name is," Greg stated, promptly bursting into hysterical laughter to the confusion of Nick and Warrick. Sara explained what he was laughing about, and Nick and Warrick shared in Greg's amusement.

"Well it sounds like you fit in perfectly," Nick commented once Greg ceased his laughter.

"Yeah, but seriously, it really was nice," Greg smiled, taking Sara's hand. "Her family's cool. Oh and guess what?"

"What?" Warrick humored him.

"Sara's been holding out on us. She's great with kids, contrary to what she says. I got an awesome picture of her and her…uh, what, second cousin?" He looked to Sara.

"Technically yes."

"Her second cousin Dylan. He's six months old and adorable. But like I was saying, I have the coolest picture of her asleep on the porch swing, Dylan asleep on her lap."

"Who took that?" Sara asked, slightly shocked. "I don't remember that!"

"Daniel, and of course you wouldn't remember, you were asleep."

"You'll have to bring it into work and show us," Nick shot Greg a grin before speaking to Sara. "Great blackmail material."

"It's only blackmail if it's something I want to hide," Sara retorted. "And while it's not a side I like to show, that maternal instinct is there. Besides, I'll have to embrace it sooner or later."

"Are you trying to tell us something Sara?" Warrick met her gaze in the rearview mirror, an eyebrow raised in question.

"No, I'm not pregnant," she rolled her eyes.

"But we hope to have kids in the future, and that's what you mean about the maternal instinct stuff, right?" Greg looked at her to confirm the statement.

"Yeah," she nodded, coloring slightly. She blushed even harder when Warrick and Nick started whooping and hollering, teasing her.

"You know, while I couldn't be happier for you two, the thought of you having kids is kinda weird," Nick mused aloud a minute later.

"Why's that?" Greg asked.

"I don't know, it just is, or I guess it was. Not so much anymore," Nick shrugged. "I mean, it still seems like only yesterday that Greg was an immature lab-rat running around to loud music. And Sara was the obsessive and driven work-a-holic. Neither of you seemed like the types to really settle down, let alone have kids. I remember that time Sara got stuck with baby-sitting duty for that Collins girl. That only re-affirmed my view that you wouldn't have kids, or want to."

"And now?" Sara asked.

"Now having seen the way you two interact, and how much in love y'all are, I think you'll make awesome parents."

"Really?" Greg pondered Nicky's statement. Would they really make good parents?

"Yeah," Nick nodded. "I mean, I don't know how much experience either of y'all have with kids, but that's not even what I'm basing my statement on. I think you'll be great parents simply because of the love you two share. It's so obvious; you two always light up whenever you're around each other. In the lab or in the field, it's like you've got this connection with each other and can read each others minds. If one of you is about to ask for a tape lift, the other's already holding it out. But back to the whole love thing; your kid, or kids, will grow up surrounded by love so that's how I know you'll be great parents. Though I do hope for one thing…"

"And what's that?" Sara asked, touched by his statement.

"That any kids you have don't inherit his fashion or music taste," Nick laughed, holding up his hands to show he was only joking.

"All right _children_," Warrick gave Nick a pointed look. "Play nice."

"Yes Dad," they all chimed together before laughing.

The rest of the ride home was rather un-eventful. The weariness that seems to come with flying, no matter how short a flight, was catching up with the three of them, so the ride was also finished out mainly enjoying the light piano music playing. Sara found herself nodding off, and fought to keep awake for a while before Greg just shoved her head down to his shoulder in a silent order to just go to sleep. With a contented sigh as she snuggled up against him, she finally did, and it wasn't until the car stopped that she even began to drift back towards the realm of consciousness.

"Do me a favor Nick?" Greg asked, pulling out his keys and holding them out to Nick. "Go ahead and open the door for me, would ya? I want to get her to bed."

"Sure man," Nick took the keys and jogged up the walkway and unlocked the door, holding it open for Greg as he carried the semi-conscious Sara inside and upstairs.

"I can swing by before shift and drop off the pets for you," Warrick offered as he helped Greg unload the two suitcases from the back.

"Thanks," Greg nodded, fighting a yawn.

He gave a quick wave to Warrick and Nick as they drove off before turning around to bring the suitcases inside. Dragging them upstairs into the bedroom, he crawled onto the bed and settled himself next to Sara. She immediately turned over and moved closer to him as he too drifted off for a nap before work.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"Well hey, welcome back you two," Catherine gave them a smile as she walked into the break room, Grissom right behind her.

"How was your holiday with the in-laws?" Grissom asked Greg as he poured himself some coffee.

"Good, it went really well. Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill are a kinda crazy, but harmless. One of the cousins had a major attitude problem, but it's okay cause _she's pregnant_," Greg rolled his eyes as he stressed the last bit.

"Ooh, did you bring the picture?" Nick asked as he and Warrick walked in.

"What picture?" Catherine asked.

"This one," Greg smirked, taking it out and handing it over to Catherine, Grissom, Warrick, and Nick gathering around.

"You had to bring it, didn't you?" Sara moaned, holding her face in her hands.

"But Sara, you look sweet," Grissom said, a teasing lilt in his voice.

"Which is exactly why I didn't want it shown," she gave another groan, bringing laughs from her co-workers and husband.

"Oh come on Sara," Catherine teased. "I promise, we won't think of you as anything other than a tough criminalist."

"Momma," Nick coughed, bringing more laughter, and a punch on the shoulder from Sara.

"You guys suck," she stuck her tongue out playfully.

"Keep your tongue in your mouth love," Greg laughed.

"Okay, but just remember that you told me to," Sara grinned evilly.

Greg began coughing, and turned beat red, "Umm…what I should have said is…don't stick your tongue out at everyone…while…we…oh forget it! Do whatever you want to do!"

"Wuss," Nick coughed out, followed by laughter.

"Damn straight I'm a wuss. You haven't had the pleasure of kis…oh forget it! I stand by my last statement…Sara does whatever she wants!"

"They haven't had the pleasure of kis…Greg…how were you going to finish that statement?" Sara smiled at him sweetly.

Once again, Greg was a deep red, "Well…I…ah…I was going to say…Dammit, you know exactly what I was going to say. It's not nice to make me squirm, especially in front of the boss."

"It may not be nice, but it's A LOT of fun."

"Brat."

"Maybe so, but you're the one that married me," Sara retorted. "So what's that say about you?"

"Damn, she got you there man," Warrick laughed into a fist.

"Why can't you stop picking on us?" Greg whined pitifully. "Interrogate Nicky instead or something."

"Ooh, I like that idea," Sara agreed.

"So how was your vacation Nicky?" Grissom asked.

"Yeah, any cute girls around?" Catherine asked teasingly, but sobered slightly when Nick's ears began turning red and he gave a bashful grin. "Ooh, there was! Spill it…and I want details."

"Uh Grissom, hasn't shift started?" Nick rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, looking at his watch.

"We've got a few more minutes," Grissom just smiled as Nick glared.

"Yeah Nick, do tell," Sara leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.

"Yeah, I met a girl, sort of."

"Sort of?" Warrick raised an eyebrow.

"Well, she and I have known each other since we were babies," Nick shrugged. "She went to college in Indiana, and then went overseas, and recently she joined up with the army for a while. Her mom and my mom were college room-mates, and we usually spend Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve together. Anyway, she's finished out her service."

"And…?" Catherine pressed for details.

"And it was nice to see her," Nick said firmly. "Now, I know it's time for shift to start, so can you hand out assignments…Please Grissom?"

"All right," Grissom assented, saving Nick from further inquiry. "Nicky, you've got a floater at Lake Mead, take Greg with you. Sara, possible trick roll at the Bellagio. Catherine, Warrick, you're with me. Double homicide at the Venetian. Let's go."

"You won't get out of telling me so easily," Catherine wagged her finger at Nicky, kissed his cheek, and then followed a laughing Warrick out of the room.

Sara headed out to the Bellagio, slightly annoyed that she was stuck with a trick roll, but happy that she wasn't given the floater. However, arriving at the hotel, she was greeted with a very pleasant surprise. The man who had called hotel security saying he had been robbed by a stripper, had been mistaken. He and his wife had enjoyed watching the exotic dance, who had been paid and left. He went to sleep, and his wife decided to go do some gambling, and took his wallet. So it turned out to be a big mistake.

"Huh," Sara wondered to herself as she drove back to the lab.

She had just driven past a pregnancy clinic. Seeing it, coupled with the picture Greg had shown her co-workers, caused her to wonder. She couldn't help but wonder if she might be pregnant. Making a split-second decision, causing the car behind her to honk, she swung into the parking lot of a local drug store. Parking the car, she sat there, debating whether or not she should. She made up her mind, walked inside, and headed to the prescription desk, which held the more sensitive pregnancy tests.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The clerk looked up and smiled at Sara.

"I need a pregnancy test…uh, the most sensitive that you have," Sara said, feeling slightly awkward.

"Sure thing," she turned around and began looking. "So you think you might be expecting? I'm three months along myself."

"Congratulations," Sara nodded as she pulled out her money to pay for the test.

"Thanks, and good luck!"

Sara headed to the bathroom located in the drugstore, and pulled out the test. She opened it and began following the instructions, somewhat nervously, for fear of messing it up. However, seemed to be going fine, and now all that was left was for her to wait five minutes to see. Was she, or wasn't she?

OooOooOooO

A/N: Okie dokie, that's it. A little cliffhanger for y'all. What do you think? Oh, and **TxsTechMandy**, (I think that's your name, I'm sorry if it isn't.) would you mind re-e-mailing me the information you did before? And **x-sara-x**, a while back you had won a challenge, so if you'd also e-mail me so I can ask you some things. To everyone else, thanks for reading, and review if you want!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: It's not mine, I just enjoy messing with their lives!

A/N: Thanks so much everyone for the encouraging reviews! It's nice to know that even if I take an extra week or two to update (which hopefully won't be for too many more chapters), than you'll still be waiting to read, if a bit impatiently lol. So this chapter is dedicated to everyone who's been so understanding of my taking a little extra time. Now on with the chappie!

A Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Fourteen

"I can't believe Christmas is nearly here," Sara exclaimed as they drove home from shift, a week after their Thanksgiving break. "We've got just under three weeks till I meet your family."

"Oooh I know," Greg gave a laugh. "I guess that means I should think about buying some presents, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Sara nodded, a hint of exasperation in her voice. "I have to work tonight, but you've got off, so maybe you should go shopping."

"Okie-dokie. What do you want?"

"Surprise me," Sara said dryly. "Honestly, I don't care. I've already got more than I had every hoped for with you."

"I know," he replied seriously, though it wasn't stuck up, it was simply an acknowledgement. "I feel the same. Though a few more pairs of Spiderman lounge pants would be nice."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind kjære," she couldn't help but laugh. It was just like him to want cartoon-covered pants.

"You know what I'm wondering about?"

"Hm?"

"Well, two things. The first is what Nick's girl is like. He was all mysterious about her- what was up with that? The other is I have no idea what to get Warrick, he's my secret Santa. We do that tomorrow night, and I'm clueless," Greg whined.

"You don't get the point of _secret_ Santa, do you," she laughed. "You're not supposed to tell."

"Well you won't tell, and besides, this way I won't totally embarrass you by getting him something weird, or boring," he reasoned. "But c'mon, ya gotta help me."

"Well tell me what you know about Warrick."

"Uh…I know he's lived in Las Vegas all his life with his grandmother. I've heard he played minor league ball, he likes jazz, and he had an interest in boxing. Not too much, just common lab-rat gossip," he shrugged. "Oooh, I got it! There's that Winton Marsalis concert coming to town in two months. I can get him two tickets to that along with a gift certificate to a nice restaurant!"

"See, you didn't need my help."

"I guess, but you just make everything seem so logical," he leaned over and gave her a peck on the cheek as they pulled in the driveway. "Love ya vennen min."

"You too," she shook her head at his antics, something she found herself doing quite a bit.

"All righty then, I'm off," he slid over into the driver's seat as she hopped out. "I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I'll definitely be back before you leave for work."

"Well I would hope so," she laughed, shutting the door and waving him off.

Greg quickly drove to a restaurant that he considered to have the best Italian food in the state of Nevada. Bella Notte's was a small restaurant, but what it lacked in size, it more than made up for it in quality. The restaurant was run by an authentic Italian family, with some of the best secrets for cooking he had ever had the pleasure of tasting. Not to mention, the restaurant was themed after the movie "Lady and the Tramp" and the whole spaghetti-noodle-kiss-part. Totally cool in his opinion- after all, how many restaurants decorated based on a Disney movie? So he stopped in and picked up a hundred dollar gift certificate before going on to the box office where a friend of his hooked him up with two tickets for a table at the front right near the stage.

Satisfied that his secret Santa gift would kick ass, he whistled cheerily as he drove to a local shopping centre to pick up gifts for his family, and of course Sara. He wandered around and through a few stores, easily picking out things for his family: A nice set of hand-woven Irish linens for his mother, along with another Beleek pottery ornament to add to her collection, a set of four hand-crafted Waterford brandy tankards for his father, and a bookstore gift certificate for his sister, along with two silver charms to add to her charm bracelet.

He meandered through several stores of varying wares; jewellery, clothes, perfumes. However, nothing 'spoke' to him as being right for Sara. He knew she'd appreciate anything he bought, since it _was_ the thought that counted, but he wanted their first Christmas to be perfect. After all, he felt like he hadn't done anything else right in their whole bizarre relationship other than marry her, and he wanted to make it up to her.

Giving a little sigh, he shook himself from his thoughts and took the short trip back to reality. Walking into one of many gift stores in the centre, he picked out a few minor things; two picture frames (one of which would hold the picture of her and Dylan) a little stuffed animal that looked like Duke, and a little crystal figure that looked something like her cat. Doubling back to the bookstore, he picked up two books that were in a series she liked, and he knew she was trying to get, as well as a book his sister had recommended.

It was called "Beauty" and was a version of _Beauty and the Beast_. In the story, a wealthy father with three daughters loses his fortune, and has to move his family in with his daughter's new husband at their small house. One day, the father had to travel back to their old town, and he got lost in a magical forest, and wound up at a castle. An invisible voice told him that he was welcome to food and shelter, but not to take anything else. On the last day however, the father picks a single rose, having promised his daughter Beauty that he would bring her flower seeds. The Beast appears and tells him he has a week to make a decision- for the rest of his life he can stay, or one of his daughters can, but only if she comes of her own free will. Beauty knows her sisters would be devastated by their father's departure, and goes to the castle of her own free will. Thus ensues the story of how a beauty came to love a beast, and all that entails.

Still not sure what to get Sara as a special gift, he decided to just head home. He hoped that he would have a stroke of brilliance and think of something perfect. Making sure he had all his bags together, he headed out to his car and drove home. Looking at the car clock, he realized that he had spent most of the day wandering around at the mall, and that it was a little after five. He swung by a little deli to pick up a sandwich for himself, and a sweet-and-sour mahi-mahi wrap for Sara.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO **The next night** OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"All right, gather round everyone," Grissom called out as the team entered the break room, gifts in hand.

"Happy Holidays boss," Nick grinned, pushing a shirt-sized box towards Grissom.

"I guess that answers my questions about who's starting tonight," he laughed slightly, taking the box.

"Oh come on Gil, just rip it open," Catherine chided as he began to painstakingly separate the tape from the paper.

"I was planning on it, I just wanted to see how long it would take for you to scold," he laughed, tearing the paper and opening the box to see several species of beetles mounted carefully in a mahogany shadow box. "Oh this is wonderful Nick, thank you! I have just the spot in my dining room for it."

"Beetles and dining rooms do not mix Gil," Catherine sneered slightly, shaking her head. "Anyways, it's your turn, so hurry up and give me my gift."

"How'd you know I have your gift?"

"You have spent the past week asking more questions than usual about my hobbies, trying to find out what I want," she laughed, taking the long thin box he handed over.

"Oooh, looks like a jewellery box," Greg teased as Catherine ripped off the paper to reveal a red fuzzy necklace box.

"Gil, this is gorgeous! You shouldn't have," she breathed, lifting out a thin silver chain with a butterfly charm on the end. The spots on the butterfly's wings were tiny amethysts, accented ever more by the delicate filigree of the silver.

"I never take the time to thank you for everything you do for me," his cheeks flushed slightly as he shrugged off her thanks. "I figure this is the least you deserve."

"Well isn't that cute!" Greg gave a girly squeal, ruining the moment. "Now it's my turn!"

"I feel bad for whoever the field mouse got," Warrick joked, chuckling.

"You!" Greg laughed as Warrick winced in mock disappointment.

"Let me guess, a gift certificate?" Warrick took the envelope and waved it near his ear.

"Maybe, maybe not, I'm not telling," Greg replied in a sing-song voice as Warrick opened it.

"Hey, I wanted to go to this, but it was sold out when I checked with ticket master," he exclaimed. "How'd you get these?"

"A magician never reveals his secrets, but seriously, just have a nice time with a pretty lady," Greg laughed.

"Who's next?" Grissom looked around.

"Lady's choice," Nick looked from Sara to Catherine.

"If no one minds, I'd like to save mine for last," Sara looked to Catherine and Warrick.

"Sure, I don't think that's a problem," Catherine shrugged, pulling a box out and sliding it across the table to Nick. "Here ya go Nicky."

"Thanks Cath," Nick tore into the box and pulled out a dark blue t-shirt with the country-song phrase "Save a horse, ride a cowboy," emblazoned across it in white. "Dude, that awesome!"

"Yeah well, it seemed like something for a cowboy from Texas," she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"If Sara's going last, I guess that means it's my turn," Warrick pulled a square box out and slid it across the table to Sara. "Here girl."

"You remembered," Sara gave him a smile after opening it to reveal several jazz cds from varying artists.

"About the fact that you've always wanted to listen to jazz, but you just never seem to get around to it?" He asked, and she nodded. "Yeah, of course I did. I think I was so shocked that you didn't recognize hardly anything by greats like Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Armstrong. So I decided to fix that."

"Well thanks, these'll be a lot of fun to listen to," she gave a smile before turning to face Greg. "I got you kjære."

"This should be good," Greg smiled excitedly.

Sara shook her head in amusement at his child-like antics as she slid a relatively thin package across the table to him. He picked it up with a grin, shaking it and bending it, trying to get a hint as to what it was. Finally setting it down, he stripped the box of its paper, and opened it to see an envelope. Looking up curiously at Sara, he picked it up and opened it carefully so as not to tear the piece of paper inside. He read it over quickly, once, twice, and a third time, not saying anything. Pushing his chair back, he walked around the table to kneel in front of Sara and took her hands in his.

"This isn't a joke?" He asked, his eyes meeting hers.

"No, it's real," she gave a nervous laugh. "Are you mad?"

His answer was to pull her up and out of the chair into a bone-crushing hug and spin her around before giving her a searing kiss. He pulled back and laughed loudly before pulling her close for another hug, holding her for a moment to turn and look at their co-workers.

"So would you like to share what evidently neat gift your wife gave you?" Catherine stared at the two of them, a bemused smile on her face.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" Greg handed Catherine the piece of paper that had been in the envelope, not letting go of Sara.

"What's it say Cath?" Warrick asked, curious like the others.

"It's a gift certificate for a book," she said slowly, reading it over.

"What book?" Nick asked, slightly exasperated with the wait.

"What to Expect When You're Expecting," Catherine read with a broad smile. "Greg's gonna be a daddy!"

OooOooOooO

A/N: Okie dokie, not the best way to end the chappie, but I wanted to get this out to y'all. Hope y'all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, though there wasn't a ton going on except now ya know. Also **x-sara-x** if you'd e-mail me, many chapters back you won a guessing contest, and it's time for you to claim your "prize". And **TexasTechMandy**(sorry if that's not your real e-mail/pen name) please re-e-mail me the info you had earlier if you don't mind! As always, review if you want, it's cool if you don't!


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: It's not mine, thought if it was, CSI would be on every night! And there'd be more romance!

A/N: Hey y'all, another chappie for ya, and enjoy! Glad y'all liked the "Greggo's gonna be a daddy" part. **I'd like to apologise for the lack of update. I had this nearly done, but then the Katrina fiasco happened. I have family members (a foster sister and her daughter) who live in ****New Orleans****. So I've really just been too worried to do much of anything until I knew what happened. She's fine, my family and I found out Friday. She and her daughter got out before it hit, and went to stay with friends in ****Oklahoma****. So with that being said, I would like to just thank God that she's okay. I also want to extend my sincerest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to those who weren't so lucky. You're in my prayers.** Anyways, thanks for letting me get that off my chest, and I hope you enjoy the chappie!

A Marriage of Convenience?

Chapter Fifteen

"Well that's some Christmas present Sara," Warrick pulled her away from Greg to give her a hug before turning her over to Nick.

"Hey in there, I'm your Uncle Nick," Nick smiled broadly, rubbing Sara's perfectly flat stomach, causing her to laugh.

"I won't show for a while Nick," she swatted his hands away.

"Still, doesn't mean I can't start teaching the baby now. He needs to know that the stuff his dad listens to isn't really music!"

"He?" Catherine raised an eyebrow as she shoved Nick out of the way in order to give Sara a quick hug. "Since when are you a psychic? And Sara, if you have any questions at all, don't hesitate to give me a call. And I've still got a lot of Lindsey's old things up in the attic if you want anything."

"Thanks Catherine."

"And it's gonna be a boy cause I want a nephew close by that I can spoil," Nick grinned.

"I second that!" Warrick laughed.

"I think it'll be a girl, as stubborn as Sara here," Catherine added her two cents.

"Hey now, I don't want this becoming one of the lab's betting topics," Sara protested, feeling slightly overwhelmed with all the attention.

"What do you think Gris?" Catherine turned to look at Grissom.

"I just want the baby to be healthy," Grissom replied with that infuriating smile of his.

"No fair boss, you gotta have some sort of opinion about it," Nick pressed.

"The only opinion I have is that I hope he or she is healthy. Though I'm sure some of us might have opinions about a certain young lady you were taking around the lab earlier," Grissom hinted as he walked out of the break room.

"What? Nicky brought a _giiiirrrrllll_ to visit the lab?" Catherine turned a piercing, inquisitive gave on Nick. "Oooh, do tell Nicky. Was this the girl you mentioned the other day?"

"Y'all aren't gonna leave me alone, are you?" He shook his head in defeat.

"Nope, so get talking man," Warrick slapped him on the back playfully.

"All right, what do you want to know?"

"How about her name, age, what she looks like, what her hobbies are, if she's crazy for actually being friends with you…?" Catherine rattled off several questions.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up there," Nick laughed. "Okay, her name is Layla Mackenzie and she's thirty one. She's kinda short I guess, about five feet, four inches or so. Reddish brown hair, and the most beautiful brown eyes I've ever seen."

"You've got it bad," Greg snickered.

"Shut up, at least I'm not as bad as you," Nick retorted before Catherine flapped her hand at him, motioning for him to continue on. "I'm going, chill! What's she like, is that what you wanted to know?"

"Yeah, her personality, her hobbies, all that good stuff," Sara gave him an overly sweet smile-revenge was so sweet.

"She reminds me of Grissom a bit- super smart, and full of random knowledge. She's loyal to a fault, and honest, almost brutally sometimes. You'd like her cause she's always ready with a swift kick in the ass if I need it, which I have over the years. She's really great with my nieces and nephews, really playful, likes to have fun. She's just full of life, and the best friend I ever could've hoped to have."

"Oh that's so sweet," Greg pretended to wipe a tear away. "Our little Nicky's all grown up and in-like with a girl!"

"In like? What the heck is that man?" Warrick looked at Greg like he was crazy.

"Well, you know when you care about someone, but you're not in love yet, I call that being in-like."

"Makes sense," Warrick chuckled. "Yeah then, Nick's in-like."

"Yeah, yeah, are you done now?" Nick rolled his eyes.

"Just one more thing. What was she doing here?" Warrick asked.

"Well she's never been to Vegas, so she's here on vacation. And of course, we're hanging out some, and I'm showing her some sights, and she wanted to see where I work. We're going to fly back out together and spend the holiday with our families like we always do."

"How sweet. Well, have fun," Catherine pecked him on the cheek, grabbing one of the assignment slips that Grissom had just brought back into the room. "DB, robbery gone bad, you're with me Warrick!"

"All right guys, catch ya later, and congrats again you two," Warrick gave them another smile before following a beckoning Catherine.

"And Nicky will take the trick roll at the Flamingo motel, while I finish up paperwork," Grissom handed Nick the final slip. "You two can celebrate a while, though if a case comes in, you're on it."

"Got it boss," Greg nodded, and Sara smiled her thanks.

"So…"

"So…" Greg mimicked Sara. "We're gonna be parents. I can't believe it. Wow, this…this is just…incredible. I'm the luckiest guy in the world."

"I know the feeling," she gave a large sigh of awe, moving closer to Greg on the couch. "In nine months we're going to have a baby."

"You're going to be a great mom."

"I hope so, but I know you'll be a great dad kjære," she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Like you, I hope so. But we'll be fine. Besides, we'll have all our friends telling us how to raise our kid if we do get confused."

"I guess so. This baby really will be spoiled, won't it?" Sara laughed.

"Hey, when will we find out whether it's a girl or boy?" Greg asked suddenly.

"Uh, I'm not sure. I need to call my doctor and set up an appointment, but not for a while yet. I won't really need to until I'm about 8 weeks, so not until around late January. As for finding out the sex, I guess that'll just be when I get an ultrasound and the baby co-operates."

"Well, just be sure to schedule the appointment for when I can go, cause I want to know too."

"Of course! That's a given," Sara rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, I had a question for you."

"Shoot."

"What do I get your family for Christmas?"

"Just tell my mom she's gonna be a grandmother, and she'll be happy with that," he pressed a kiss to the side of her head before turning himself so he was lying down with his head in her lap. Her hand moved automatically to his head, her fingers running through his hair. As her nails lightly massaged his scalp, he couldn't help but give a sigh of contentment as he closed his eyes.

"Seriously Greg," Sara pressed. "I want to get them _something_ for the holidays. Can't you just give me some ideas?"

"Ugh…all right, if it'll hush you up. Uh…my sister has a charm bracelet, and she always likes more charms to add on to it. She also enjoys collecting old children's books, as well as books in general. As for my parents, I hardly even know what to get them. Just take one of those 'family pictures' we did the other day and get it framed nicely or something."

A few days ago they had had some neighbors over for a bar-b-que. One was held every year, the first weekend of December, and the houses in the row rotated hosting it. This year just happened to be Greg and Sara's turn. It was great- everyone had a blast. One of the neighbors, a Scott Fillmeyer, had brought his digital camera and took lots of pictures. Before he left, he had snapped one of Sara, Greg, and Duke. The next day he brought a copy of it down for them. It was a really lovely picture, even as spontaneous as it had been. Greg had put on a pair of jeans, a white tank, and a green plaid button up shirt over top. Sara had unintentionally dressed to match, with a knee-length jean skirt, and white lacy cami. They laughed when they had first seen each other, and decided to complete their 'family look' by tying a white bandana around Duke's neck.

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too bad. I'll bring the photo in tomorrow and have Archie blow it up to an 8x10. Then after shift I can stop by one of those frame stores and pick up a nice one. What do you think will go best with their house?"

"Huh?" Greg opened his eyes to look at her quizzically.

"Well, would a dark wood framed go better, or world a light colored wood? Or would some time of metal frame, maybe a sterling silver one go better?"

"Uh, I don't know. I guess a dark wood frame, or a silver one. They've got both from what I can remember. But really, don't stress yourself out too much. One, it's really not that big of a deal, and two, it can't be good for the baby," he grinned, turning his head to press a kiss to her stomach.

"All right, I won't worry about it," she playfully pushed his shoulder. "So what charms should I get your sister for her bracelet?"

"I dunno!" Greg rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Just pick out a couple that have meaning to you, and you think she'll like. She's just excited about having a sister-in-law, so again, she'll just be happy that you thought of her. And the fact that she's gonna be an aunt. You know, I really think she's gonna be so excited by that, that she's not even gonna really noticed any other gifts."

"You're probably right. I just want everything to go well. I really want them to like me."

"Don't worry, they won't. They're gonna love you! After all, what's not to love? You're smart, sexy, funny, caring, and everything else I've ever wanted in a girl. Why do think I had a crush on you for the longest time, and that your name was the first that came to mind when I was telling my mom?"

"I know, but you know me, I worry too much."

"Yeah, maybe so, but since I tend to not worry hardly ever, we balance each other out really well."

"_You've got the bucket baby, I got the chicken_," Sara sang softly. "_You've got the Smith and Wesson, and I got the ammunition baby. We can shoot the town or sit around finger lickin', yeah. Alone we're not half bad but, we could be a whole lot better, anybody knows us, knows we're good together. Just a little sliver of sunlight in stormy weather. Like a tear in my beer we're good together, good together_."

"Hey, not too shabby," Greg looked up at her. "Who sings that? I only know it's country."

"Shedaisy, and it's called 'Good Together' or 'Bucket and Chicken' and I thought it fit the moment," she laughed. "Balancing each other and all."

"How true, how true. You know, I think that's one of my favorite things about music."

"What?" Sara looked at him, the confusion in her eyes encouraging him to further explain his ambiguous statement.

"The fact that no matter what the situation is, there's always a song that'll perfectly describe what's going on, or how you're feeling. I mean, there's a song about _everything_, I swear!"

"Mmm, really?"

"Yup, so name something you don't think is in a song, and I'll bet you there is a song about it."

"And what are we gonna bet?" Sara looked at him.

"How about, if I'm right you wear the outfit of my choosing in to work tomorrow, and if you're right, then…?"

"Then you get dog poop cleaning duty for two weeks," Sara answered with an evil smile. Duke went the bathroom in the backyard, but obviously since it was so small, the poop had to be scooped daily.

"Deal," he nodded as they kissed on it. "So, name something you'd never believe a song would be written about."

"Oh let's see…" Sara mused for a moment. "Give me a second."

"Sure, take all the time you need, as long as it's not more than five minutes."

"Bathtub," she said suddenly a moment later.

"What?"

"Bathtub. I've never heard of a song about bathtubs," Sara gave a self-satisfied smirk, thinking he'd never be able to come up with a song. To her surprise, he started laughing. "What?"

"Too easy- 'Bathtub Blues' is the name of the song," Greg looked up at her; it was his turn to smirk. "By Greg Brown."

"Greg Brown, 'Bathtub Blues,' are you serious?"

"Yeah, he's a part country, part folksong singer. In college, my roomie was obsessed with music like that, and it so happened he had Greg Brown's albums, on of which had that song."

"Damn," Sara pouted. "All right, I'll wear the outfit of your choosing, as long as it's nothing inappropriate. I need to be able to work, remember."

"Don't worry, I know," Greg waggled his eyebrows as a devious grin graced his face. Sara groaned to herself, almost dreading what she would end up in.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"NO! I CAN'T WORK IN THAT!" Sara exclaimed the next evening as she stood wrapped up in her towel, staring at what Greg had picked out.

"Yes you can," he replied patiently. "I've seen you wear heels like those for hours on end."

"Well…I…yeah…but…it…yeah, I can," she sighed resignedly, and grabbed the clothes. "Ooh!"

"What?"

"If you're going to make me wear that, I'm going to at least make myself look the part," she smirked before disappearing into the bathroom.

Greg had picked out a black leather mini-skirt buried in the back of their closet, thinking it a contradiction as she was a vegetarian. On top, he had chosen a light pink halter-top that he hoped would show off some of her flat stomach. Also in the back of her side of the closet, still in their box, was a pair of pink, low-heeled stilettos, with straps that would wrap up around her ankles. It was almost uncanny how they just _happened_ to match the shirt. And to be kind, he also picked out a leather blazer so that Sara would have something to cover up with if she chose.

When she reappeared a half hour later, Greg couldn't keep his jaw from dropping. Several inches of her stomach were revealed, and her legs just seemed to go on for days. The heels only served to accentuate her long legs. She had put on make-up; some light blush, eye-shadow, and a very appealing pink lip-gloss. Her hair had been teased, pulled, curled, and dampened, giving it a wet and wild look, making her look even sexier that she had before (which was very difficult in his opinion).

"Wow," he managed to stammer out.

"That good, huh?" She purred as she strutted over to him and walked two finger up his chest.

"Yeah," he nodded wildly. "I think we should just call in sick."

"Unh-uh," Sara pushed him back as he leaned in for a kiss. "This hair, and these clothes? I'm just too good looking not to share with the world. And besides, we had a bet."

"Cancel it," he whined, pouting.

"Nope, you started this, so I'm going to finish it," Sara grinned as she grabbed the jacket, shrugged it on, and headed out to the car.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"Whoo, looking good girl!"

"You're hot!"

"Go out with me?"

Sara walked into the lab, enjoying the various comments that lab-techs and officers were throwing out at her as she went to stow her jacket in her locker. She started to walk past the DNA lab, but stopped when she saw Hodges. Walking in, she gave him a seductive smile as he looked up, his jaw falling open in shock. Moving over to him, she used a finger to push his jaw up, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and spun around and walked out with a laugh as he promptly fainted, yet again.

She stopped in the women's restroom to re-apply her lip-gloss before making her way to the break room just in time to hear Warrick asking Nick why Hodges was passed out.

"Because I'm just so beautiful he couldn't handle it," she interjected, striking a pose in the doorway.

"Hey Sara…" Warrick trailed off as he took in her appearance. "Damn girl."

"Wha…damn," Nick also stopped as he looked up from the file he was working.

"So I guess I'm not too bad then?" She asked teasingly.

"You look _fine_ girl," Warrick stood up and walked over to her, taking her hand and pulling her into the room. He lifted her hand up, making her spin slowly. "Why have you been hiding that?"

"So that I won't keep you all from doing your jobs," she smiled. Her smile turned into a laugh as Nick took his jacket and threw it over her shoulders. "Protective much Nicky?"

"Yeah! Why are you wearing that? None of the officers are going to be able to form a coherent sentence around you."

"It was a bet between Greg and myself," Sara sat down, throwing Nick's jacket back to him.

"About what?" Warrick asked, always interested in who was betting on what, though he had long broken his gambling habit.

"He bet me there were songs about everything, and that anything I named, there would be a song about it. I picked a bathtub as something there would never be a song about, and of course, he knew one."

"Ha!" Nick burst out. "Sorry, sorry, but bathtubs?"

"Hey, it seemed to make sense at the time," Sara replied defensively. "I mean honestly, who in their right mind would write a song about a bathtub?"

"Well, seeing as you apparently lost the bet, someone did," Warrick chuckled.

"Hey guys, hey Sara," Catherine walked in. "You look great Sara!"

"Thanks Cath," Sara nodded.

"Ah-ha! There's my beautiful wife," Greg strolled into the room and gave Sara a quick kiss. "Grissom's right behind me with assignments."

"All right everyone, we've got a- wow," Grissom stopped abruptly as he noticed Sara's appearance. He blushed slightly and gave a cough before continuing. "Ahem. We've got a gang shooting on the outskirts of town, four dead, two in the hospital with critical injuries, though their prognosis is good. Everyone on it. We've got a couple of days coming in to finish anything up, and to cover anything new that might come in. Let's roll."

OooOooOooO

A/N: Okay, that's it. Again, sorry it took a while to get out, though I can't say that I'm really too sorry in light of why I wasn't able to. Family comes first- always. And if the ending seems abrupt, sorry, but I'm really not one to go into detail about cases. So I hope you enjoyed it, and tune in for the next chapter which'll hopefully be up in a week or two. It'll deal with Christmas prep and meeting the family and all.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: It's not mine, I just enjoy pretending I control their universe.

A/N: Hey y'all, thanks for the support about all my family issues and the late update. It's nice to have the support :-) from y'all. Oh, before I get on with my author's note- I put up a little one-shot dealing with ladybug (Cath/Gil) friendship, called "Why Can't He Sleep When it Rains?" so go read and review, please! Anyways, just a couple more things. A couple people mentioned that they thought Sara was out of character with the way she was dressing/acting. Personally, I agree, but I also think that 1- being with Greg has loosened her up, and 2- it was a bet. We all know how stubborn Sara is, and she's not going to back down from a challenge. And a couple of people also commented that they thought Greg would be jealous of the attention she was getting. Again, it was a bet. He picked out those clothes knowing she'd get attention from everyone. And besides, I think they have a high degree of trust, and therefore Greg knows he has no reason to be jealous. He knows Sara loves him, etc. And I'm glad that y'all liked Grissom's reaction. I kept cracking up while writing it myself lol. Oh, as far as we know, there's never been any real indication of religious preferences among the CSI/Lab tech peoples, so I'm taking liberties with that. Anyways, with all that being said, onto the chappie!

A Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Sixteen

"_Jingle bells, Nicky smells, Warrick laid an egg, bug-mobile, lost a wheel, and Catherine took ballet, hey!_" Greg sang as he waltzed, and Sara walked, back into the lab the night before their vacation started. Everyone was meeting back up to finish paperwork, and bid their farewells before the holiday.

"Ha ha Greg, and I don't smell," Nick gave him a sarcastic smile as he walked in, Catherine and Warrick behind him.

"Sure thing ol' buddy, ol' pal, if you say so!" Greg gave a theatrical sniff in Nick's direction. "Oh I just love Christmas!"

"Yeah, it's always nice to spend time with family," Warrick agreed.

"Yup, and besides, Christmas _tis the season to be jolly, fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la_," Greg burst into song.

"C'mon Greg, do you have to do that?" Catherine scolded in annoyance.

"You think that's bad?" Sara scoffed. "He's been doing it for the past two weeks- every day! When he's showering, making coffee, doing dishes, chores…it's unending."

"He does chores?" Catherine looked impressed. "Send him over my way, I've got some cleaning he can do, free of charge."

"No thank you," Greg said matter-of-factly. "I only do chores because we switch off weeks to do them. And if I didn't do my week, I'd be on the couch."

"Darn. Oh well. So what time are you guys heading out tomorrow?"

"Uh, probably around seven or so," Sara answered when Greg looked to her, not remembering what they'd planned. "It's about a four hour drive, and we want to get there so we can get settled in and rested so we won't feel dead on Christmas Eve."

"Cool, well, have fun," Nick smiled.

"You too, and say hi to Layla, and tell her next time she visits, she has to stop by so we can meet her."

"I'll be sure not to," Nick muttered under his breath.

"What was that Nick?" Sara looked at him innocently, though he knew she'd heard everything.

"Nothing, I just said I'll be sure to pass that along," he smiled back, just as innocently.

"All right," Grissom announced, walking into the room. "Once you've completed your paperwork, you can leave, and have a very happy holiday."

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"Time to wake up vennen min," Greg announced softly, not wanting to startle her out of her slumber.

"Huh?" She replied drowsily. She rubbed a hand over her face, blinking several times. "Ok, what?"

"We're almost there, about five minutes away, so I thought you might like the warning."

"Oh…Oh!" Sara sat up as her brain finally processed Greg's statement. "I'm about to meet my in-laws. They're going to hate me!"

"Oh shut up," he rolled his eyes, but reached a hand over to take hers in his. "We've had this talk before. They're going to love you."

A minute later, Greg pulled onto a residential road, and before Sara even realized it, they were pulling into the driveway of a beautiful house. It was a modest looking, two story, Spanish influenced style house. As they climbed out of the car, Sara felt her nerves calm as Greg interlaced their hands as they walked up the brick walkway, through a black wrought iron gate, and up to the door. Before Greg could even raise a hand to knock, it swung open and Greg was yanked into a hug that lifted him off his feet.

"Gregers!" The tall, well-built man clapped Greg heartily on the back as he was set back on his feet.

"Hi Far," Greg laughed, then pulled Sara forward. "This is Sara-"

"My new daughter!" Olaf said cheerfully, and pulled Greg further inside before moving closer to Sara and giving her a bear hug. "Oh aren't you a pretty thing!"

"Thanks Mr. Sanders," Sara blushed.

"Oh none of that, I'm Far. You're _familie_ now!" He leaned forward and kissed both her cheeks before pulling her inside too, and closed the door.

"Hello Mamma," Greg went over to his mother and kissed her cheek before bringing Sara over to meet her. "Mamma, this is Sara. Sara, this is my mother, Tekla, and you met my father, Olaf."

"Call me Mamma," Tekla smiled broadly as she stood up from her chair, bringing herself to her full height of four feet, eleven inches. Sara almost let out a laugh at how different Olaf and Tekla were. Tekla was under five feet, whereas Olaf had to have been at least six feet, five inches tall. And he was built- not fat by any means, but muscled and broad shouldered. Tekla was more delicate looking, though Sara could see the fire in her eyes, and knew she had a strong spirit. "Oh you're even lovelier than my son said. Welcome to the family."

"Thank you…Mamma," she smiled back. She was kept from saying anything else as a blond cannonball shot into the room and leapt into Greg's arms.

"Greggo!" the girl laughed, her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. She planted a kiss on his cheek and gave his neck a squeeze before hopping down.

"Hey Kelly," he kissed her cheek too. "Glad to see you too squirt."

"I am not a squirt!" She replied firmly. "Now, where's my sister-in-law? I want to meet the woman who was smart enough to realize what a great guy you are."

"That'd be me," Sara announced her presence. "Hi, I'm Sara."

"I'm Kelly, Greggo's sister, unfortunately," she walked over to give Sara a hug.

"You poor thing, I know just how you feel," Sara laughed, liking the girl and her teasing attitude immediately.

"Hey, no fair!" Greg stomped his foot in mock irritation. "You girls are ganging up on me!"

"Oh you poor thing," Tekla laughed, pinching Greg's cheek. "Now, stop pouting and show Sara where you two are sleeping. Knowing you, you two probably drove here straight from work. Go upstairs and get some sleep for a few hours. I don't want to see either of you till dinnertime. We'll catch up then. Now go on you two, shoo!"

"All right Mamma, love ya," Greg kissed her cheek.

"You too Gregers," she smiled before turning to Sara and giving her another hug. "Sleep well, and welcome again."

"Thanks," Sara replied before turning and following Greg upstairs.

"Well this is it," Greg led her into a fairly spacious room, decorated in greens and whites.

"Huh, doesn't seem like you."

"That's cause it's not. When I left for college, Mamma decided it needed to be redecorated. So I left it in August looking like a rock star's dream, and come home at Thanksgiving to find Martha Stewart's handiwork instead. But it's cool; I like the green and white."

"Yeah, it looks like it'd suit your mature side," Sara laughed, then abruptly yawned. "Wow, I'm tired. Let's get some sleep; I don't want to be a total zombie tonight at dinner."

"I se-se-second, that, idea," he fought a yawn, turning the bedclothes down. "Good night."

"Don't you mean good afternoon?" Sara slid beneath the sheet and into his arms.

"Whatever. Won't change the fact that I love ya."

"I love ya too, kjære," she whispered back, already falling asleep.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"Mamma!" Kelly hissed down the stairs.

"What?" Tekla hissed back up.

"Come up here and look at them, they're still asleep. Do I really have to wake them? They're so cute!"

"Oh you're right," Tekla smiled when she saw them. Sara was laying with her back to Greg, his arms wrapped around her middle, with her arms resting on his. "No, we'll let them sleep, now go and get my camera for me."

"Why Mamma?"

"Because I need to start a scrapbook for them! And for a scrapbook, I need pictures. Now go!" Tekla ordered.

When Kelly came back, Tekla took a few pictures quickly, then closed the door once more. She headed downstairs with a smile on her face, and a spring in her small step as she entered the kitchen where they took their meals.

"I like her!" Olaf declared boisterously.

"Me too," Tekla agreed, giving him a kiss, laughing as his mustache tickled her lip. "He picked a good one. Not like some of those girls he liked to use and lose."

"And she's fun!" Kelly had to add her two cents. "She likes to tease him as much as I do, and I bet she can give as good as she gets."

"Hey, sorry we overslept," Greg interrupted as they entered the room. "Why didn't you wake us? I mean without the camera flashes?"

"Oh, did that bother you? Sorry, but you were just so cute that I had to take some pictures for your scrapbook," Tekla apologized.

"Oh no Mamma, not the scrapbook again," Greg groaned.

"What?" Sara interjected, curious.

"I'll have to show you after dinner! It's adorable really, contrary to what Greg thinks," Tekla shook her head at her son's antics. He was pretending to bang his head against the table. "Ever since he was little, I've been working on a scrapbook for him. You know, putting in pictures of major events in his life; baby pictures, first day of school, homecoming, prom, graduation, and the like. Well, of course as he's gotten older, there haven't been too many to put in, but I thought this would be photo-worthy, especially since it's party selfish on my part too. I don't have any pictures of you two, so I figured this would be a nice way to kill two birds with one stone."

"Yeah, sorry about that…Mamma," Sara said, hesitantly using the word, still not quite comfortable with it. "We're working on that."

"Oh no rush. But like I was saying, once I've added in a few pictures last pictures, I'll give it to him so he can share it with you, and your future children."

"Thanks Mamma," Greg said sarcastically. "It's not enough you know all my flaws, but now my wife and children will too."

"Yes," she simply smiled. "There will be grandbabies for me to spoil sometime I trust?"

"Sometime around August," Greg grinned broadly as his mom stopped with her fork half-way to her mouth.

"You're joshing me!" She looked at him in shock as he shook his head. "He's not joshing me?" She looked at Sara next, as if not believing her own son.

"Nope. You're going to be _besteforeldre_," Sara confirmed with a smile.

"Did you hear Olaf? We're going to be grandparents!" Tekla jumped up and ran to her husband excitedly, giving him a hug. She then ran around the table, squeezing the life out of everyone, several times each, as well as bestowing several kisses upon Greg and Sara.

The rest of dinner went smoothly, filled with conversation, and the occasional sporadic laugh of happiness from Tekla. After dinner Sara spent the evening sitting on the couch with Tekla, being regaled with stories of Greg's childhood misfortunes, and looking through the scrapbook. Greg of course, kept interjecting comments about how everything his mother was saying was a lie, but for some reason he couldn't explain why there were pictures to support the stories. And after all, Sara reminded him with a smirk, the evidence never lies.

The next day, Christmas Eve, Greg took Sara on a drive around San Gabriel, introducing her to his life. He showed her his elementary, middle, and high school, and all his old hangouts. He took her on a visual tour of her history, and she loved every minute of it. In all the years they had worked together, she hadn't really gotten to know a whole lot about him. So it was nice for her to get a glimpse of his past, and what made him into the man she loved today.

That afternoon Tekla sent Greg and Olaf to pick up some last minute things from the grocery store for the party that evening. Sara was dragged upstairs by Kelly to start getting ready for the dinner party that would start around six. Sara gladly excepted Kelly's help, as she knew a few of Greg's old girlfriends would be there, as well as old family friends, and they would be judging her. She wanted to make Greg proud.

After hopping in the shower, she came into her room to find Kelly had picked out a dress for her to wear. Sara had bought it on a whim several months ago during a sale, but hadn't worn it. Pulling it on, she gave a satisfied nod as she looked at herself in the mirror. The demure, dark red gown was rather simple, but only served to highlight her own unique beauty. It was off-the-shoulder, long-sleeved, slightly clingy gown, with an asymmetric hem that only accentuated her long legs. To complete the look, she swept her hair up in a French twist, held in place by two silver hair combs that had been a high-school graduation gift from her grandparents. The only jewellery she wore was her rings, and little silver hoops. In regards to make-up, a little eye-shadow, and a little lipstick, but nothing else.

"You look _gorgeous_ Sara!" Kelly exclaimed as she waltzed into the room.

"Thanks, so do you!" Sara complimented as she sat down on the bed to pull on her black strappy heels.

Kelly did look rather pretty in a forest green satin gown. The halter dress showed off her hips, and had an attractive handkerchief hemline around her knees. She had her hair curled, left down, and clipped back on the sides. Her jewellery consisted of a diamond solitaire necklace, diamond earrings, and a diamond bracelet.

"Now, you're nervous aren't you?" Kelly asked, seeing Sara wring her hands slightly. She took a seat next to Sara.

"A little. Like with your parents, I guess I'm just worried about making a good impression."

"Well don't. My parents loved you- still love you as a matter of fact, I love you-sis," Kelly teased with a smile. "And most importantly, Greggo loves you. And you know, when you come down to it, that's really all that matters."

"Thank you, I needed that," Sara smiled, giving Kelly a hug.

"Hey, keep your hands off my wife," Greg said in mock jealously as he entered the room.

"Sure thing Greggo," Kelly pulled back from Sara. Standing up, she walked over to him and ruffled his hair. "You look nice. I'll see you downstairs.

"Thanks, you too," he grimaced as he tried to get his hair back into some semblance of order.

"Here, let me help," Sara laughed, walking over to him. His hands went to rest on her hips as she used her fingers to comb through his hair.

"You look stunning," he leaned in and kissed her.

"You look great too," she replied, looking him up and down. He had dressed up in black slacks, and a cream colored sweater. Very sedated compared to his usual clothes, and she said so.

"Yeah well, Mamma and Far like me to pretend I'm normal at least one night of the year," Greg laughed as he led her downstairs to where guests were just arriving.

The party went off without a hitch. Tekla stole Sara away to introduce her to friends, and she soon felt very much at ease. Greg, from where he was talking with friends, couldn't hide the look of pride and love for her. Neither could she. It was very obvious to everyone around them that they were perfect for each other.

The rest of their Christmas visit also went great. Christmas morning was nice and relaxing without and little kids running around at five in the morning, clamoring to open presents. Sara received some lovely gifts from her new family; mainly gift certificates, as they didn't know her well, but there were a few other things that were rather special, such as a lovely necklace that Tekla gave her that had been a family heirloom. Another rather fun gift was the scrapbook that was a joint gift for her and Greg.

When they finally headed out the day after, it was a tearful good-bye, with promises to get together soon. However, once they had picked up Duke from Warrick's, Sara's mind immediately began organizing and preparing for the New Year's party that they would be hosting for the nightshift- including techs, at Greg's request. Grissom, with the help of Catherine, had pulled several strings so that they could _all_ have the night off. It was sure to be a blast!

OooOooOooO

A/N: Okay, that's it. Sorry if it seems kinda rushed near the end, but honestly, I didn't really want to write out a party scene, Christmas, and their driving home. And to be honest, you probably wouldn't want to bother with such trivial details, right? Right. I like to keep things moving. Just to let you know, there's probably only going to be a couple more chapters. And by a couple, I mean about two or three. So it's winding down, and will soon be at an end. Kinda sad. This is my first baby, and it's just gone and grown up! Anyways, reviews please- I love 'em!


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: Since it's Christmas, I'll let all my reviewers have Greg, Nick, Grissom, Warrick, Catherine, or Sara to do with as you want for an hour…If only I owned them. Which I don't.

A/N: Oh my gosh- time and time again, I am shocked by how well this story is doing! I can't believe that I'm up to 442 reviews! And it's thanks to y'all. Anyways, I'm glad you like the last chapter, and I hope you'll like this one as much- maybe enough to review so that I can get up to 500? Author looks hopefully at everyone Maybe? Hee hee. Oh, a couple of people asked me what my favorite pairings are. Honestly, I like, and have read, everything. Sara/Greg is one of my favs, as is Catherine/Grissom. I'm also a big fan of Warrick/Sara. As for Grissom/Sara, I don't really believe it's plausible at all. He had his chance, and blew it, and I don't think he's really that good for Sara, but I still like to read them. I've also read odd pairings like Hodges/Nick, Sara/Brass and Greg/Gil, and I like some of those I've read too. Nick/Sara and Warrick/Catherine are always good too. So there you have it, I like practically everything. Again, as long as it's well written. Also, how do I get my story nominated for an award? Just curious- cause I want one! An award that is, lol! So now without further blah-ing, the chappie!

A Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Seventeen

"Okay, are you sure that everything's ready, because they should be here any minute," Sara asked Greg, rushing around frantically to make sure everything was in order.

"Who cares?" Was his flippant reply as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him, capturing her lips in a kiss, effectively silencing her.

"_A kiss is a lovely task designed by nature for when words become superfluous_," Sara quoted with a sigh, pulling back. "Okay, I'll chill."

"Good. Have I told you that you look radiant and magnificent and angelic tonight?"

"Yes, but it never hurts to hear it again," she laughed, but it was cut off by the doorbell ringing.

Her hands flew up to check her hair before going to her pants to smooth out invisible wrinkles. The party tonight was a formal dinner party, at Catherine and Sara's request. Both were suckers for seeing the guys dressed up. Greg had once again pulled out his tuxedo, which was a bit over the top as it was only formal, and not black-tie, but that's Greg for you. Sara had decided on something a little different from a dress or skirt. She was wearing a pair of loose black silk pants, with flowing overlays that swirled around her legs as she walked. As for her top, she had on a Thai silk blouse in a striking shade of dark purple. The long sleeved blouse had a wrap-over design, tying on the left, and flattered her figure quite nicely.

"Archie!" Greg shouted gleefully as he pulled open the door and pulled him inside with a quick hug.

"Hey Greggo, Mrs. Greggo," Archie teased. "I pity you, I really do."

"Yeah, me too. Hey, tell you what, we'll throw a pity party for everyone who had to deal with Greg," Sara laughed.

"Oh no, don't even start!" Greg stomped his foot like a little child. "You and my sister ganged up on me over Christmas, and I'm not going to let you corrupt my friends."

"Hate to break it to you, but we're already corrupted, even if we're not your friends" Hodges interjected, coming inside through the door that had been left open. "For you Sara, as hostess."

"Thanks Hodges," Sara gave him a hesitant smile as she took the flowers and went to put them in a vase. He had been invited because they didn't want to leave anyone out, but she hadn't really thought he'd come. Needless to say, she was a little surprised to see him, and with a proper hostess gift no less. Most people forgot the societal niceties.

"So what is this, a free for all?" Catherine knocked on the frame before strutting in. "Leaving the door open like that, you're asking for trouble to walk right in. And speak of the devil."

"Happy New Year!" Grissom greeted as he walked in with Brass, followed closely by David and his wife Ashley, who was looking very pregnant at seven months.

"Hey guys, welcome," Greg waved happily. "Drinks are in the TV room."

"And there's plenty of non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic drinks there too!" Sara called after them as she closed the door, only to have to re-open in a few minutes later to let Warrick and Mia in, with Jacqui and Bobby not far behind.

"All right, the gang's all here," Archie smiled brightly looking around. "Well except Nick. But he's always late."

"I guess it's a good thing I told him to be here at seven instead of seven thirty then, isn't it?" Sara laughed. "He should be here within the next five minutes hopefully."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang, bringing a round of laughter from everyone as Sara went to get the door for the last time. Doc Robbins and his wife had declined the invitation, as had the other couple of lab techs she and Greg had invited. Opening the door, Sara stared in surprise. In front of her was Nick, but he wasn't alone. Standing next to him proudly, if a bit nervous looking, was who Sara assumed to be Layla Mackenzie. She was rather pretty- her dark coppery brown hair clipped back from her face, highlighting her eyes. She was wearing a simple dark blue spaghetti strap dress that came to her knees, paired with some low heels.

"Hey Sara, are you going to just stand there all night or can we come in?" Nick joked.

"Oh yeah, of course, sorry," she leaned in and pecked him on the cheek and smiled at Layla.

"Hi, I'm Sara Sanders, it's nice to meet you," she held her hand out.

"Layla Mackenzie," Layla replied, a soft Texas twang coming through.

"My fiancé," Nick announced softly, but with obvious love and pride.

"Oh wow, congratulations," Sara managed after a minute, than gave Nick a look that clearly said he had some explaining to do.

"Thank you, and I hope it's no problem for me to just show up like this, since I'm not technically invited," Layla apologised, drawing Sara's attention away from her silent conversation with Nick.

"Oh really, it's no problem," she was quick to assure her with a smile. "Now why don't you come on into the living room and meet everyone else?"

"Hey Nick!" Greg called out as the three of them entered the room. "Who's the lovely lady?"

"Everyone," Nick called out, capturing their attention. "I would like to introduce you to Layla Mackenzie, my fiancé. I took a leaf out of Sara and Greg's book and proposed on Christmas Eve. It seemed silly to wait when I knew I loved her, and probably always had."

A flurry of congratulations was yelled out as everyone began coming over to greet the newly engaged couple. Sara caught Greg's eye and moved towards him, weaving through the group. Reaching him, she allowed herself to be wrapped up in his arms and pulled onto his lap in the arm chair he was sitting on. Happily accepting a kiss, she turned to watch everyone.

"He's happy, isn't he?" she sighed with contentment, settling back against him, her head resting against his.

"I would say so," he replied, moving a hand up to run his fingers through her hair. "They look a lot like us I think."

"Happy and in love? Yeah, I agree. Just so long as she isn't pregnant," Sara gave a quiet laugh. "I don't think Mama and Papa Stokes would be too happy with their baby boy."

"No, definitely not," Greg replied, also laughing quietly.

"I love you," Sara whispered, resting her forehead against his as he interlaced his hand with hers, holding them close to his heart.

"I know. That's the most incredible part. I know you do. And I love you too," he whispered back, and leaned his head in to kiss her.

Just as he kissed her, a bright flash went off, causing them to pull back, embarrassed.

"Sorry, but you two are just so cute," Catherine smirked, holding her digital camera.

"I think we can find it in our hearts to forgive you, just as long as you print a copy for us," Sara said, standing up. "Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm hungry, so let's eat!"

Everyone laughed and chimed in their agreement, and moved to sit down at the table. Well, actually two tables pushed together, but it served the same purpose. Dinner went well, and quickly, with lots of great conversation. Hodges surprised everyone by being almost friendly and talkative. After dinner they moved down into the TV room to play some games. Trivial Pursuit was the first one to be played, in teams, and Grissom and Catherine won that hands down. The second game they played, funnily enough, was clue, again in teams. Hodges and Jacqui won that, which caused all the lab techs to do an impromptu group-victory dance.

"All right everyone, it's a minute to midnight, so grab someone for a kiss," Catherine yelled out. "If you don't end up with a partner, you'll still get a kiss on the cheek from one of us lovely ladies, so have no fear!"

"Oh great, just what I wanted," Hodges muttered to Greg. "A kiss on the cheek from an inebriated Catherine."

"Hey, I'm sure there're plenty of guys who would," Greg laughed before pulling Sara close to his side. "Ready?"

"Of course you goof," she laughed, then joined in with the countdown.

"5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEARS!" Everyone yelled out.

Sara gave Greg a quick kiss before pulling back, wanting to see who all kiss who. Some of them were obvious; Nick and Layla, Warrick and Mia, and David and Ashley. Sara watched with a bit of surprise as Catherine pulled Grissom to her and planted one on him, which he didn't seem at all opposed to. Jacqui was blushing and standing next to a smiling Bobby. Sara laughed as she watched Catherine move to Brass and kiss him too, but on the cheek only. Noticing Archie and Hodges standing nearby, she walked over.

"Happy New Year guys," Sara gave them a smile before leaning in and giving them both a kiss on the cheek.

"You too," Archie looked shocked, then a grin spread across his face. "HA, beat that everyone! Sara kissed me!"

"Yeah well, she married me, so there," Greg stuck his tongue out at Archie, but ruined the childish effect by tripping over his feet and falling to the floor.

Of course, everyone burst out laughing, and at first Greg looked put out, but he soon joined in. The next hour passed with more drinking and talking, and sharing New Year's resolutions. A little after one, David and Ashley left, and over the next hour, everyone else headed home till only Nick and Layla were left. Currently, Greg and Layla were competing to see who was the ultimate racer in some video game. Sara was watching from her seat on the steps, Nick next to her.

"When are you planning on getting married?"

"You know, I really have no idea," Nick chuckled. "I think we're going to wait a while, maybe the fall. I kinda rushed into the whole engagement thing."

"Maybe a little, though I'm really not one to talk."

"True, true. But yeah, seriously. We're going to wait a while. We've got a lot to settle. She has her apartment back home to sell in time, and I have mine to sell too. We want a big family, so we need to find a decent house to live in, and she also needs to find a job, and just everything. How did you two manage to do it all?"

"Like you said earlier, I really have no idea," she sighed happily, leaning against him. "We really just kinda have dealt with that as we've gone. I mean, of course it was a little easier since we both had our jobs here and everything. And Greg had the townhouse while I had an apartment, so that wasn't too hard to figure out. It was also lucky for me that my lease renewal was coming up about a week after we got married. So I just moved everything out and over here."

"Lucky."

"Yeah, I am. I've got a great guy," she looked over at Greg, a soft smile on her face.

"I hope this new Sara sticks around. Love looks good on you."

"Just like it does on you. Layla's a great girl."

"She is, isn't she? Though I'm probably a little partial," Nick looked over where Greg had just thrown his hands up in a gesture of victory.

"I lost, can you believe it!" Layla shouted over, letting Greg pull her to her feet.

"Well, I bet I can find a nice consolation prize," Nick said, leaning in to kiss her. He looked confused when she held up her hand to stop him.

"Sor-sor-sorry," she got out through a yawn. "I think the alcohol's kicking in. I'm feeling sleepy all of a sudden."

"Well I guess that's our cue to walk you all to the door," Greg nodded, leading the way upstairs and into the front hall.

"This was a lot of fun, and your cooking was excellent Sara," Nick complimented, embracing her and kissing her on the cheek.

"Yeah, thanks a lot for just being so welcoming, especially since I'm new," Layla smiled.

"Hey, you're with Nick, so you're automatically part of the family, though that's not necessarily a good thing," Sara laughed, hugging the smaller woman.

"Thanks for coming," Greg yelled out the door, waving them off as they climbed into their car.

"Well, as much fun as that was, I think it'll be our last for a while," Sara said with a yawn as she turned to survey the mess. Not a lot, but still some tidying up to do.

"Yup. With the baby coming, I don't want you to be stressed about anything," Greg came over and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Now to bed, for all three of us."

"But-"

"Cleaning will wait till morning, I promise," Greg interrupted, and began pushing her upstairs and into the bedroom to sleep without another word of protest.

OooOooOooO

A/N: Okie dokie, that's it for the chappie. It's all party! Fun, fun, fun. I like Hodges. Once I finish this story, I'll probably work on posting a Hodges story. Hope you liked this chappie. I thought it was just kinda fun to see some of the interactions between them all. And Nick's engaged! You can all thank Mrs. Rhett Butler for the character Layla- isn't she cool? Perfect for Nicky. Anyways, get your tissues ready, cause I have some sad news- the next chapter is the last one. It will wrap up with the babies and a few other fun little details. And no, I'm sorry, but there won't be a sequel. So that's it, and review if you like- I wanna see how many reviews I can wind up with! Final chappie up within two weeks.


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: They're not mine, I just love playing with them!

A/N: Well, this is it. The last chapter is here. Seems like I've been writing this forever is some ways, and in others it seems like I started it only last week lol. Anyways, I would like to give a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story: Arashiichaser, Lorelei, mel, Sorelle, josie22, LocoGreggo, liv, Ola Normann, Nova-Janna, monica, Livinlavidacsi, shira, Jennifer, Arathisiewen, CSI Kennedy, Scarlet Rose4, Sfumato, ichigatsu, avid reader, chibigirl626, MissAmanda, Melo, jenjen, Ravynsword, Clare, jewelbaby, Brianna Lynette, Fwe, dancingdreams, NickyandGreggoever, colts-patriots-crimedramagurl, Just another ordinary fan, TVrocks, Gizzi1213, mcflyrulz, Tripp3235, Kelly, tilou, Jenni, firefly13, CherokeeLaday, Meraculas, FicFreak6, dahdah, crookedpen, sidle'smygirl, Kelly, Melo, forestfire, WondrousNight, Jeff, tria, runningwithscissors75, Amanda, EmmieBelle07, texan csi, Grissom's Monarch Butterfly, Nathasha, knuddel, Tyger Gurl, Vanessa, SG-Dingo, firestorm13, Camilla Sandman, booo, chrissy0, Crissy, Natasha, valoankea, LadyBelle84, liz, luminoso estrella, Sagutcheway -06, heres-your-valentine, CMELO, Charmed-angel4, anonymous (all of you -), Elaine02, Stargueg2, J.C., gilmorefan101, jean, csiindiegurl, CatStokes, Puddleduck, ficfreak, Philyra, Jo Jo Mobile, x-sara-x (**special thanks to you!**), Disenchantment, Forrest, fading-lights, M.J., shaneo6930, S, Sylphide, Discorda, battlestarcsi, lilmissbubblz, MyBella131, JackFan7, CSI3, Unlikely-to-bear-it, Trixi Hellfire, Cheryl, ris0123, Geeky Annie, Daisyangel, Morwen, Charmed-angel4, ElastigirlThePresident, Goldie, Sarksgrl04, tria246815, CSI-Scarlett, SweetSouthernBelle517, Lirenel, Lily of th eShadow, Veronica 10, Jayme, Doggies45, csi-sam-sanders, racingfox, whitehuskey18, iscariot (**special thanks to you!**), Mrs. Rhett Butler (**special thanks to you!**), mustbow2greg, totaljargonfree, DarkFate1, stephanie, razorblad.and.kisses, Renee, shadowcat15, Charli, Brittanie, JBH, Nine, missusmesser, Dusty Brown, Maple End, I.S.O.D, terrible-envy, RavenluvsBB, Shi-Sha Hariken, SaphiretheVampiricWerewolf, Dhampir Elf, SleepyHead258, trainerker, SpeedRacer15, Rubymuto, SeraphStar, Ice Fox, mirdaishan, Pygme, Lady-Werewolf, DarkFate1, VeganCSI, EricaSzmanda, Lizzie, heather32323, Kalerial, HYPERPISCES, quirkylabrat, CSIwannabe, Lalenna, icklebitodd, laney23, oypoodle, Magick, CSIsupergirl2011, Kate, remoob1513, Carrie, Kylie, melNZ, emily, Bubblez101, Gregsgirl4ever, LGBG, ObessedTWFan, crimebuff, Moody Monkey, Lindzandchubby, avalon88, Aphid24, smartykid, Juliette7179, Adrienne, MadGeorge, loony4moony, Jorja White, Sara Sidle 87, ibreak4CSI, Shelbers, wildcherry32, fee-kh, Allie, Sara Sanders, sexyirishBeep, and Blackcat69. **If I missed you, my apologies- I had to go through reviews to try and list everyone, and that took a long time. So thanks again, and if I missed you, thank you! Now onto the chappie!**

A Marriage of Convenience

Chapter Eighteen: The Finale

"I can't believe you're already eighteen weeks along!" Catherine exclaimed as Sara and Greg walked into the break room.

"I know, it hardly seems real," Sara nodded, rubbing a hand over her stomach which was beginning to show quite noticeably.

"Yeah, and before you know it, you'll have your own little one. They grow up fast, don't they?" Catherine smiled, referring to David and Ashley's little girl.

"Well, I can't say I know firsthand, but I know it's going to seem like it," Sara agreed, taking a seat. "Only another hour, and then we'll know the sex of the baby."

"I want a girl, just like her Mamma," Greg got down on his knees, lifted Sara's shirt, and pressed a kiss to her rounded stomach.

"Oh get a room," Nick moaned, but it was all in good teasing.

"We have one, thank you very much, but it's at our house, which isn't here."

"Oh don't be such a smart ass Greg," Catherine chided as Grissom walked into the room.

"All right you two, get out of here," he smiled. "And be ready to share with us tonight."

"As if that wasn't obvious?" Sara laughed, and then with a wave, allowed an excited Greg to pull her out of the room.

OooOooOooO At the Doctor's Office OooOooOooO

"Sara Sanders?" A nurse called from the doorway of the waiting room.

"Right here," Sara stood up, Greg right next to her. They followed the nurse into an exam room where she did the typical pre-exam procedures; weight, current medications, background, etc. About ten minutes later, the OB-GYN entered, an ultrasound machine preceding her.

"Hello again Mrs. Sanders, Mr. Sanders," Dr. Linda Ambrose greeted. "Ready to hear the heartbeat again?"

"Yeah, and find out the sex," Sara nodded. Her last appointment had been at the 12 week stage, over a month ago, and they'd been able to faintly hear the heartbeat of the baby, though it was very difficult to distinguish between the baby's heartbeat, and just general background noise in the body.

"All right then, let's boot this thing up and get it going," Dr. Ambrose began spreading the lubricating gel over Sara's stomach and after turning on the ultrasound, began to slowly move the transducer around to locate the baby. "All right, let's see…ah, there it is!"

"Look," Greg pointed out the blob that was the head, his eyes bright.

"Can we listen to the heart beat now?" Sara asked, excited to hear it again. It made it seem all the more real.

"Sure, let me just get the Doppler ready," she said, and listened for a moment.

"What is it?" Sara asked worriedly, seeing an odd look cross Dr. Ambrose's face.

The doctor didn't answer for a moment. She took up the transducer again and began moving it around again, keeping a close eye on the screen.

"All right, there's the head, and there's the shoulders," she pointed out. "And there's the head and there's the shoulders."

"You just said head and shoulders twice," Greg stared at her wide-eyed.

"That's because we're having twins!" Sara exclaimed in shock.

"That's why I stopped for a moment with the Doppler. I thought I heard a second heartbeat, and needed to confirm it," Dr. Ambrose smiled, sharing in their enthusiasm. "Now, do you want to find the sex? It might be hard with twins, but we should be able to get an idea."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Greg bounced up and down excitedly. "Double your pleasure, double your fun. Hey! Our kids can go act in that commercial since they're twins. Cool!"

"Greg," Sara chided. "The babies may not even be identical."

"All right, well, if you look there," Dr. Ambrose said, pointing to a spot on the screen. "That proves you have at least one boy. Now, let's see if he's got a brother or a sister."

"Ooh yay, a boy!" Greg clapped his hands, looking like a kid in the candy store. "But I want a girl too."

"Well it looks like you've got your wish," Dr. Ambrose shook her head at his antics as he whooped with joy before promptly kissing Sara within an inch of her life.

Dr. Ambrose gathered the copies of the twin's first picture she had printed off, and handed them to Greg in an envelope. After helping Sara clean up, she finished up the rest of the exam and sent them on their very merry way.

"Now we get to tell everyone," Greg grinned mischievously.

"And how, pray tell, should we do that?" Sara looked at him, knowing he had an idea.

"Like this…"

OooOooOooO

"SURPRISE!" The LVPD crime lab members shouted as Sara and Greg walked into the break room. They were surrounded by what seemed an entire baby store's worth of gifts, as well as their friends and colleagues from all the various departments in the lab.

"What is this?" Sara and Greg looked around, amazed.

"Your baby shower," Mia walked over to them and pushed them to the couch to sit down. "We've all gotten you gifts, and there're some things from day and swing swift. I think there's also a couple of group gifts from the police department."

"But before you even think of opening a single gift," Catherine smacked Greg's hand as he reached for a box. "Share! Girl or boy?"

"All right, here," Sara pulled out a pink balloon, and a blue balloon. "Catherine take the girl, Grissom, take the boy, and everyone else pick the side of the room that corresponds with your guess."

"We just want to see what everyone thinks, and then we'll let you know which side's right," Greg handed the blue over to Grissom who moved near the door to be joined by most of the men in the room. Catherine moved to the other side, and was joined by all the girls, plus Brass. Hodges and Doc Robbins went to stand by the coffee maker which was between the two groups, and only shrugged their shoulders when asked why they didn't pick a side.

"Okay, so who's right?" Warrick asked, and everyone yelled out their agreement.

"Well Cath, I hate to say it, but Grissom's right," Sara put on a pout, fighting to keep from laughing as the guys started cheering and whooping and hollering, exchanging high-fives.

"Hey Grissom!" Greg yelled out, getting their attention again.

"Yes Greg?"

"I hate to say it, but Catherine's right too," Greg announced, a goofy smile on his face.

"Huh?" Archie said, ever so eloquently.

"Ha! We were right!" Hodges stated triumphantly.

"How? You didn't pick a side?" Bobby looked confused.

"They're having a boy _and_ a girl," Doc Robbins looked to Greg and Sara for confirmation.

"We're having twins, ultrasound confirms it," Sara pulled out the pictures, which were immediately passed around and exclaimed over.

"I thought so. You're weight gain would be rather extreme for only one child," Doc Robbins nodded, cheeks coloring slightly at the reference to her weight.

"How'd you know Hodges?" Catherine looked curious.

"Last month when Sara needed me to draw some new blood for the standard DNA update," he shrugged. "Her HGC levels were high. Not close to a single-baby level. My sister was pregnant a couple years back, I remember this stuff," he said as a way of explaining that factoid.

"Hmm. Cool," Nick shrugged.

"Can we open gifts now?" Greg asked, bringing a round of laughs.

"Of course, but on the condition that you start with mine," Catherine said, tossing him a gift.

OooOooOooO Three and a half months later, July 18th OooOooOooO

"You know, this whole confined to the lab thing really stinks," Sara moaned from where she was lying on the couch, going over cold case files.

"Well, just think of is this way, at least your doc didn't confine you to bed-rest," Catherine pointed out. "I spent the last two months of my pregnancy at home so there wouldn't be complications."

"Oh yeah, that would be worse," Sara shifted around, a wince on her face.

"Something wrong?"

"Just some back pains," Sara awkwardly pushed herself into a sitting position, one hand on her lower back, rubbing it. Suddenly a beeping filled the room.

"Oh man," Catherine looked down at her beeper. "Another DB at the scene, Grissom needs me to join them. You'll be okay?"

"Yeah, I think I'm going to just get some water, then come back here and take a nap," Sara grinned. "Say hi to Greg for me."

"Of course," Catherine nodded. Grissom, Greg, Warrick, and Nick were all out at a rave gone bad with three dead bodies, or rather four now. "I'll see you later. And make sure to take it easy!"

"Always!" Sara yelled back, laughing. After looking over another dead-end cold case file, she scooted to the edge of the couch and pulling a chair towards her, used it for leverage to pull herself up, also pushing herself up using the couch armrest. She began to waddle down the hall, but stopped in front of the lab as a sudden pain overtook her, accompanied by a damp rushing between her legs.

"Oh god," Sara whispered to herself, looking around. "HODGES, MIA!"

"What, what, what is it? What's wrong!" He rushed out to her.

"I'm in labor!" she yelled, grabbing on to him.

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

"And then what happened Daddy?" 5 year old Ereka Sanders asked from where she was lying in bed, tucked under a pink blanket with multi-colored flowers all over it. Much to Sara's dismay, Ereka was very much a girly-girl.

"Well, your Uncle Hodges took your Mom to the hospital while your Aunt Mia drove to the crime scene where your Uncle Grissom, Aunt Catherine, Uncle Nick, and I were working," Greg smiled. "And I got to the hospital just in time to see you and your brother arrive."

"Really Ereka, you've heard this story only a _gazillion_ times," Benjamin stood at the doorway, a superior look on his face. "You could tell it yourself by now."

"I know, but it's so much more fun to hear Daddy tell it," she replied, sticking her pert nose in the air. The twins were identical in looks, except of course Ereka had long brown wavy hair while Ben's was short and usually spiked with gel, thanks to Greg's influence. Both children had light brown eyes, and Greg's fair skin.

"Really, well you know what I think is fun?" Greg asked his daughter while winking at his son.

"What?"

"Tickling you!" He yelled, and promptly began to attack her sides, Ben rushing over to help.

"Ooh, the boys are ganging up on the girls," Sara laughed from the doorway where she stood with her arms folded.

"Hel-help Mom-m-m-my!" Ereka managed to get out between her giggles and squeals.

"Okay, come on now," Sara walked over and grabbed Ben around the wait, picking him up and planting kisses all over his face.

"Ew, stop it Mom," he whined, but couldn't push her away since she had trapped his hands.

"Hey, you're only supposed to use that power for good and not evil," Greg said with a laugh, and scooped up Ereka in his arms, standing up. "I'll trade you."

"Sure," Sara grinned, and dumped Ben over Greg's shoulder while taking Ereka in her arms for a hug. "Now what do you say we get you back in bed, and finish the story?"

"Okay Mommy," she replied, kissing her cheek loudly before snuggling back under her covers.

"So where'd we leave off? Greg asked, sitting back down on her bed, Ben reclining against his chest, eyes heavy with sleep.

"You just got to the hospital in time to see us being born," Ben reminded.

"Oh yeah. Well, I got to hold you guys, and I just remember thinking you were the most beautiful babies I had ever seen," Greg smiled, running his hand over Ben's hair.

"And you two decided on our names," Ben prompted through a yawn.

"That's right. Benjamin after the scientist and inventor, and Ereka because the masculine form means ruler, and we knew you'd be our little princess," Greg chuckled softly.

"Yup, I'm a princess," Ereka mumbled, barely awake.

"A very sleepy princess," Sara bent down and pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning to Greg. "Why don't you go put him to bed?"

"Sure," Greg stood up, Ben in his arms. "C'mon little man. Bed for you."

"Good night Ereka," Sara kissed her again.

"Night Mommy."

"Night princess," Greg said from the doorway as Sara turned off the light and moved to his side.

"You didn't finish Daddy," her words were mumbled.

"All right, well, a few days later, your Mom and I brought you two home, and we all lived happily ever after," Greg finished with a smile.

"Hap-lee ever affer," she repeated, before completely drifting off to sleep.

"We really did, didn't we?" Sara asked as they collapsed onto the couch in the living room.

"Did what?" Greg asked, putting his arm around her, pulling her to him.

"Live happily ever after."

"Yup. And the cool thing is, we still are."

OooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooOooO

A/N: Okay, that's the end! Gosh, I almost feel weepy- my first big CSI baby's all grown up and out on it's own, lol. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let's see if I can't go out with a bang and finish up with 500 reviews! Keep checking back for when I being posting my Hodges fanfic which will be titled "World's Most Hated Lab-Rat".


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